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Ash paying the bill, I would have expected him to try and get out, but in your fic he seems to be wiser while still maintaining his traits.

Well, now you mention it, I think it's a bad thing to have him wiser: him not trying to get out of paying the bill is out of character. However, he and Misty settled their argument about it by paying in turns. And Ash and Misty both seeing that as fair doesn't seem weird to me.

Misty saved Ash in the last chapter, but she still has that fear of bugs. Gives you food for thought. I loved the implied joystickshipping.

Well, Team Rocket doesn't consist of bugs... Misty will never lose her fear of bugs.

Nice that you like JoyShockShipping. And it's JoyShockShipping, not JoyStickShipping.

Here's the critiquing of your latest chapter that I told you I'd give. I'm putting it in a spoiler since it's long.

Spoiler:- review:

The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.

This does not read like a story. It reads like a summary of a story. As such, it lacks the concrete details and sense of movement that allow the reader to visualize the scene and set the mood. I'd expect to see something like this in an outline, but for a scene in the actual story it needs a lot more development. This is a recurring problem in this chapter (don't know if it is in others, but I would guess so).

“Ash, we’ve been waiting for almost 20 minutes now! The waiter is going to customers who came here after us!” Misty said, in a sad voice. Her stomach growled.

One thing I noticed as I read through this is that you're VERY heavy-handed with exclamation points. It's definitely something you want to cut down on, because it tends to make everything shouty and desperate-sounding and also comes across as very juvenile. Honesty, I'd cut out the vast majority of the exclamation points in this chapter and let the dialogue speak for itself. Remember that the exclamation point, like any textual mark of emphasis, loses power when you use it too often.

Also, I'm noting that there's absolutely no transition between the Pokemon Center scene and the restaurant one as well as absolutely no hint of the setting they're in now. It makes it very hard to gain a sense of atmosphere this way.

“Yes, Misty!” Ash replied. His stomach also growled. “Let’s just go to the Gym now. I can also battle when I’m hungry.”

The “His stomach also growled” is awfully repetitive from before. Why not change it up for the sake of variety. Something like: “Ash replied, his stomach letting out a guttural moan.” Added to that, the “I can also battle when I’m hungry” line is exceptionally awkward sounding. It’s better to just cut it down to “I can battle when I’m hungry.”

“No, Ash! I am also hungry and I want to eat first!” she replied. “I want fries and coke now!”

Again, “I am also hungry” sounds extremely awkward. Only robots talk like that. How about just “I’m hungry” or “I’m hungry too.” And she doesn’t sound like she’s replying, she sounds like she’s disagreeing or shouting. A more appropriate dialogue tag would definitely help here (this happens a lot throughout this chapter). Also, Misty sounds like a petulant child. I know she can be a little whiny sometimes, but I’ve seen more patient six-year-olds. If you wanted to make this outburst from her more justified, then you should’ve taken your time with it—shown the waiter walking past them over and over again while they keep looking longingly over the menu and get hungrier and hungrier. Without the build-up, her behavior just seems childish.

They looked angrily at each other.

This is an extremely generic sounding sentence. Again, it’s something I’d expect in an outline, not a final draft.

Then, the waiter finally arrived.

Another outline statement. This is very abstract and promotes no visualization. We have no idea what the waiter is like or what mannerisms he uses. Did the waiter plod over to them, tired as one might when working in an understaffed restaurant during a busy time? Did he frantically approach them as one might who had a lot to do and little time to do it in? What does he look like? Did he give them a teasing sort of leer as he called them lovebirds? Did he look fondly at them when he said it as though remembering his own loved one? He needs to be embodied, otherwise he’s just a blank space in the reader’s mind.

“Ash, now the waiter is finally here, are you fine with eating here before the battle?” Misty asked.

“Ash, I am telling you the thing that’s happening right in front of your face.” That first part is really unnecessary. A nod to the waiter and a “So, do you still want to skip lunch and go straight to the gym or do you want to stay?” Would sound more natural and make more sense unless she’s trying to clue in a blind person to what’s happening.

“Yes, of course! I have to admit that I am also hungry.” Ash answered.

This “I am also” thing you keep doing is not only repetitive, but it sounds odd. No one I know speaks that way. “I gotta admit I’m hungry too” would sound more like Ash.

“I’d like to order two portions of French fries, and two cans of coke.” Misty replied.

“portions of French fries” sounds odd to me. It might be a locational thing, but I’d just say “I’d like two orders of fries.” And you don’t need that comma in the middle of the sentence because you’re not following it with another clause or making a list of three or more things. Where you need the comma is where the period is after coke. I’ve already spoken to you about this by VM, but I’d really suggest you go through and edit that error you keep making where you use a period right before a dialogue tag. It’s an obvious sign of a new writer who hasn’t quite come to grips with punctuation conventions and it looks bad. I know when I see that problem I think to myself “if this writer doesn’t know that, then what else don’t they know about punctuation and grammar?” And that might be enough to make me decide not to read a fic. It’s worth fixing and it’s worth implementing in later chapters.

Also, what kind of lunch is an order of fries and a coke? No burgers?

While Ash hand Misty were waiting, Pikachu pulled Ash’s shirt.

Typo alert! “Ash and Misty” you mean.

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu said. He nodded.

Another lifeless collection of sentences. Make me feel Pikachu’s desire for french fries! “Pika pika!” Pikachu exclaimed, eyes shining with hunger and excitement as it bobbed up and down.

Pikachu looked happy.

Abstraction alert! You need to get concrete. What did Pikachu do that made it look happy? Give me something to imagine. Maybe “Pikachu beamed delightedly.”

Togetic was happy. Then, Pikachu and Togetic got to a separate table for two. Misty enjoyed their cuteness.

Again with the abstractions. And use verbs that create a sense of movement. Instead of “Then, Pikachu and Togetic got a separate table for two” how about “With the promise of delicious salty treats dancing in their heads, Pikachu and Togetic bounded over to an empty table to enjoy their food together.” See how much more lively a sentence with “bounded” seems than just saying that they “got a table?” One creates an image, the other does not.

I’d nix the “Misty enjoyed their cuteness” sentence altogether. Not only is it a visual-less abstraction like before, but it sounds really weird to me and tells instead of showing. If you want to communicate that concept then it needs to be done more subtly. Maybe with a “Misty watched fondly over Ash’s shoulder as the two Pokemon chatted animatedly to each other at their own private table.”

“Here you are!” the waiter said, arriving with the food and drinks. Ash and Misty gave half of their fries to their Pokemon.

The exclamation points are really grating on me at this point. I know I already mentioned it, but it seems like every sentence is being shouted.

“This tastes good!” Ash said. Misty agreed.

Another imageless moment. How about: “ ‘This tastes good!’ Ash enthused, tossing a golden brown fry into his mouth while Misty nodded her assent, her mouth too full of french fries to answer him out loud.”

When they finished their food, the waiter came again, with the bill, 10 Poke Dollar.

We need action verbs! We need concretion! “When they finished their food, the waiter sauntered over once more, setting a black plastic receipt holder on the table. The slightly purple type-face of the cheap paper announced that they owed 10 Poke Dollars.”

“Well, it would be romantic if the male of the couple would pay.” Misty replied.

The male of the couple? What, are they animals being observed by National Geographic? How about: “Don’t you think it would be more romantic if you paid? After all, you’re the guy.”

“It wasn’t my idea to go here!” Ash replied. He looked annoyed.

Show me his annoyance instead of telling me he’s annoyed. Perhaps his eyebrows drew together, or he frowned, or he crossed his arms irritably.

“What’s wrong with you today? We didn’t argue after getting together again until today, and now we argued twice in one morning!” Misty asked.

The second sentence sounds rather wordy and like it’s tripping over itself. And it seems very weird that Misty would get hung up over that little disagreement over whether to leave the restaurant or not, because it really did not come off that heated.

“Sorry Misty, I’m just so excited for my Gym battle against Bugsy! I even woke up at 5:00 AM and trained with Bayleef and Pidgeot, while you woke up at 8:00 AM.” Ash replied.

It would be nice if we saw that instead of an argument over french fries. It would’ve been more actiony and less static.

“I’ll pay, but we’ll go to the Gym immediately after that. And next time you’ll pay!” Ash proposed.

Ash is awfully willing to do this, despite the fact that only two seconds ago he was dead set against it and absolutely nothing has changed to make him want to. You’re letting your conflicts be solved too easily.

Ash paid the bill.

Plain. How about “Ash reached into his pocket and fished out a couple of crumpled bills, setting them on top of the receipt.” You have A LOT of sentences like this and I’m not going to point out and present example rewrites for all of them, but these are things you should look at throughout this whole chapter and develop more.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the Gym. Ash walked in and shouted “Bugsy, I’m here for another battle. I’m ready!”

Not a single one of our settings have been described, so I have no feeling that we’ve moved despite the fact that we’ve gone from the Pokemon Center to a restaurant to a lush, bug-filled gym. We need a sense of atmosphere here, to create mood and provide contrast from one scene to another.

“So Ash, you’re ready to lose again? Fine!” Bugsy replied. The referee did his usual introduction. Then, Bugsy took a Poke Ball from his belt and released a spider-like Pokemon from his Poke Ball. It was Ariados. Ash sent out his Pidgeot.

That’s awfully abrupt. Don’t be afraid to tease out the scene instead of making it go straight to battle. It just seems so quick that we’re already in a battle and they’ve only exchanged one line of dialogue with each other. The ambiguity of saying it’s a spider-like Pokemon is pretty worthless since we can figure it out pretty quickly and even if we couldn’t, you follow it up with the devastatingly simple sentence “It was Ariados.” Also, I really don’t like this starting sentences with “Then.” It makes this already summary-like paragraph feel more like it was ripped straight from an outline and it’s not a good transition. The sentence with Ash sending out his Pidgeot needs movement too.

“Good luck, Togetic, Hoppip and I will support you!”

Correction: “Good luck. Togetic, Hoppip and I will support you!”

“Thank you, Misty!” Ash replied. Pidgeot, let’s start with a Whirlwind! The Bird Pokemon flapped his wings, hurling wind at Ariados, who was blown against the wall, but wasn’t defeated yet.

You’re missing quotation marks there. Also, you pretty much announced how this is going to end up to your readers by saying that Ariados wasn’t defeated “yet.” Again, while this paragraph contains a bit more action, it still feels very skeletal and needs more development and detail.

“Pidgeot, evade and use Wing Attack!” Ash commanded. Pidgeot did what his Trainer told him to and evaded the attack that defeated him in the first battle against Bugsy. Then, Pidgeot flew at Ariados. Bugsy told the Spider Pokemon to evade, but Pidgeot was faster and hit Ariados. “That was a critical hit!” Ash concluded happily.

This one-on-one ended comically quickly. The way you write it in this section it felt like it took all of ten seconds, which is beyond ridiculous for a gym battle. You need to take more time with these things and better grasp the flow of time in your story.

Ariados tried to stand up, but collapsed.

Again, details would be nice. “Ariados struggled to stand, but collapsed, its spindly legs too weak to hold its weight.” Also note that I’ve replaced “tried” which is a very weak verb that doesn’t promote any sort of visualization.

Pidgeot looked very confident.

Show, don’t tell. Did it caw triumphantly? Maybe do a victory loop-de-loop in the air? In what way did it look confident?

I don’t have a clear idea of who’s saying that second line. Since Bugsy is the one that’s surprised, I would assume it’s him, but if a new speaker was talking then you should’ve put it on a new line. If it is Bugsy, that’s profoundly odd. I can’t imagine him swearing.

Also, you mean “shrouded” not “shoudred.”

But Ledian, who was very fast, evaded the leaves with ease.

You don’t need to tell us that he’s very fast, because we can SEE that he’s very fast by his actions. Telling us that like we can’t figure it out just spoils the effect.

This time, Bayleef was seriously hurt.

I’m sure you want this to have emotional impact but it doesn’t, because you’re telling us what’s happening instead of showing us.

The ladybug flew at Bayleef again, at high speed.

Nix the comma. It’s not needed.

Then, Ash got an idea.

Another abstraction. How about “Ash’s eyes lit up as he saw an opportunity.”

Bayleef did that, just in time to prevent getting hit.

Sentences like “Bayleef did that” sound lazy because you’re refusing to describe the action and just letting the command do all the work.

Ledian was unable to move, being caught in the Vine Whip.

The second part of the sentence need not be repeated unless you wish to be called Captain Obvious. The fact that Ledian is caught in the vines has already been established.

The Body Slam attack defeated Ledian!

I know I’ve already advised you to tone down the exclamations in dialogue, but to go further, I’d advise you to, 99% of the time not use exclamation points outside of dialogue and thought. It sounds absolutely desperate to create an artificial sense of excitement, when you should be using your words to create that feeling.

“Ash, you did it!” Misty said happily. She gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. He blushed.

Simple sentences, needs detail. I’m repeating myself, aren’t I?

“Ash, you did a great job. You clearly learned from your loss. I like how you used the same Pokemon. You really believe in them, and knew what attacks of my Pokemon to watch out for. You deserve this Hive Badge!” Bugsy said.

Bugsy sounds like he swallowed a Hallmark card. I guess I can’t complain too much since the gym leaders in the show are rather corny at times, but you’d think he’d at least rib him with something along the lines of “I nearly had you there with that ice punch” considering how cocky he was before. Nevertheless, even though the gym leaders in the show are corny, I think this goes beyond that. This is basically spelling out Ash’s development for the readers instead of letting them see it and judge it on their own.

“Bye, Bugsy!” Ash and Misty said.

That is another abrupt move that needed a transition. He won and then suddenly their leaving? I know that how they did it in the show, but they cut from one scene to another. Here there’s no indication of any such break in time.

Ash retreated Bayleef in her Poke Ball, Misty retreated Hoppip in his Poke Ball, and they left the Gym.

Retreated is not the proper word here. Perhaps you mean “returned?”

It was early in the afternoon, so they could travel further a bit.

Go for an image. Tell us where the sun was in the sky and have them conclude that they have plenty of hours of sunlight left and that the road ahead is waiting for them and such.

Ash went to the Pokemon Center first, but Pidgeot and Bayleef didn’t have to stay there to heal after the battle with Bugsy. They were already fine.

Umm... why? They were clearly wounded in the battle and all of the sudden they’re magically better? That doesn’t make sense.

Then, Ash and Misty left Azalea Town and went in the Ilex Forest, which leads to Goldenrod City. When they just entered the forest and passed the place where the Team Rocket Hideout once was, they heard a voice saying “HEY, NICE TO SEE YOU TWO AGAIN AFTER SIX YEARS!” It was Samurai, a guy who battled Ash when Ash just became a Pokemon trainer. “Uh... Fine, let’s battle!” Ash said. “I choose you, Totodile!”

Transitions, I’m begging you. Only in the games do people say one line of dialogue and then suddenly a battle starts. Real life takes a little more set-up both for the characters and for me to actually care about the outcome of the battle. Also, since we haven’t seen the Samurai in six years, a description would be nice and perhaps an explanation for why he’s in Johto.

“Totodile, evade and use Bite!” Ash commanded. The crocodile evaded and bit Butterfree in its right wing.

Don’t use the exact same wording as the command. This is where a thesaurus would’ve helped you.

...What... was the point of that? It was just a drive-by battle that did absolutely nothing and told us nothing about this character that we haven’t seen in six years. Who sees an old acquaintance, jumps out at them, has a five minute battle with them, and then abruptly exits without even bothering to catch up with what’s happened with them in the six years since he’s seen them or what they’re doing in Johto or anything?

Then, Misty looked scared. “EEEH! IT’S A BUG! IT’S A BUG!” A Yanma was sitting on her backpack. The Yanma was shocked by Misty’s behaviour, causing it to fly away at high speed.

See, this is a recurring problem I’m seeing. You have the ideas of: Ash and Misty go to a restaurant, Ash battles Bugsy, Ash battles Samurai, and Misty is scared by bugs, but you don’t connect them in any way beyond the fact that one happens right after another, so they don’t feel like they belong in the same chapter as each other and are poorly transitioned. Added to that, you could cut out everything except the battle against Bugsy and not lose anything of importance.

“Well, Misty, you know how to scare the bugs away!” Ash said, giggling.

Giggling is a girly word. Schoolgirls and children giggle. It would be better if he laughed or snickered.

...And she joins the cry to abandon conflict. Also, it should be “alright.”

After having dinner, they travelled onwards. At a given moment, they saw Jessie and James standing in front of them!

This needs to be spooled out more. Describe the scene instead of summarizing it.

“Togetic, use your Metronome!” Misty commanded. Togetic waggled her fingers. The Metronome ended up being a Thunderbolt.

“Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James said simultaneously. “Meowth!” added Meowth.

What, they don’t even say anything or do anything before they get blasted off? That’s pointless.

Then, Ash and Misty put down their sleeping bags: one two-person sleeping bag for themselves and one for Pikachu and Togetic, who liked to sleep together.

Nix the “who liked to sleep together” line because it’s telling instead of showing. Also, as far as I’m concerned you’ve already confirmed Pikachu and Togetic as a couple with everything you’ve done. I thought you wanted to be more subtle.

Ash and Misty first made sure no one was around. Then, they took off their clothes and put on their pyjamas. They lied in their sleeping bags and looked at Togetic and Pikachu, who were already asleep. “They are so cute!” Misty said. She saw her Togetic and Ash’s Pikachu lying next to each other in one sleeping bag. They had their arms around each other.

“Lay” not “lied.” And you’ve heard my spiel about concrete description before. This scene would be a heck of a lot more cute if you described it more instead of relying on Misty to tell us it’s cute.

Again, image. Show us the Caterpie crawling slowly up the waterproof fabric of the sleeping bag.

So... final thoughts?

I think I've made my criticisms more or less clear by repeating them a bunch of times and giving you examples of what you should try for instead, but... can you see now why your chapters are coming out so short? You're summarizing instead of letting a scene play out, giving very sparse description, not adding in transitions, and shutting down scenes like you're desperate to end them, not to mention killing any sense of tension before it starts. It's not enough to have a collection of ideas for scenes. You need to develop them and make them work together (imagine an actual episode of Pokemon that involved all these scenes without tying them together. That just wouldn't happen) and actually have them lead somewhere since, plot-wise, everything but the battle with Bugsy is completely irrelevant. Only if you can do those things will you have a developed story that reads like a story and not an outline. To put things in perspective, my review of your chapter is twice as long as your chapter. Word count isn't everything, but you need to have enough text to develop a scene and, as it is, you don't.

And I didn't even really get around to mentioning that these scenes (or shells of scenes) don't really have anything original about them. Most of them feel like abridged versions of things that already happened in the anime with more shipping stuffed in. I don't see anything that's especially new. But I think you have more important structural issues to take care of before you can address these conceptual problems.

I'm sorry if any of this is hard for you to hear, but I hope it gives you some idea of the things you need to do to improve.

One thing that I forgot to mention last time was that I was wondering why is there a picture of Ash and Misty sitting outside when it says in the end when they're asleep? Is it expressing the restaurant scene? If it is, it might be better if it's in the middle or just after that scene. I think the story has potential, but I think there needs to be more atmosphere and setting. You're good at details, but you could try explaining the scenery in more context.

One thing that I forgot to mention last time was that I was wondering why is there a picture of Ash and Misty sitting outside when it says in the end when they're asleep? Is it expressing the restaurant scene? If it is, it might be better if it's in the middle or just after that scene.

The drawing is expressing the restaurant scene. I have all drawings at the end of the chapter, so this one isn't an exception.

I think the story has potential, but I think there needs to be more atmosphere and setting. You're good at details, but you could try explaining the scenery in more context.

Well, I'm good at details? Really? I don't think I am. Do you have an example?

The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.

Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning.

The next morning, Ash and Misty woke up. After having breakfast, they talked about Ash’s upcoming Gym battle against Bugsy. Some hours later, they left the Pokemon Center and went to a restaurant for lunch, which was Misty’s idea.

Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning. I think you could a lot more to it. Add some more meat to it and make it more interesting.

Like this. By this we have a clearly know that they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to. So for the next part to extend it you could say how they woke up and how the morning went? Was it an easy morning, rough morning, or a morning where everything was in a hurry. From the next sentence, I get the feeling that it was a slow and chilled out morning.

Well, I am not good at details. You said "You're good at details..." I don't think your example is detailed, showing they've gotten up and what they've talked about and what they're currently up to is basic. It's not detailed enough.

While walking through the Ilex Forest, Misty was terrified, because last night, Bug Pokemon came close to her a few times. She continuously looked around in the environment surrounded by trees, to check whether there were Bug Pokemon close to her or not, so she could run away as soon as possible if the scary Pokemon would come close to her.

“Misty, please, just get it... Bug Pokemon aren’t dangerous,” Ash said to her.

“Ash, you know I’m scared of them... I’m just not comfortable with being this forest, I want to leave this forest as soon as possible!” Misty replied.

“But Misty, it’s early in the morning... I’m tired,” Ash responded.

“I don’t care!” Misty replied. “Let’s run, so we’re out of here as soon as possible! And then you’ll also get to the Goldenrod City Gym sooner!”

“Hey, you’re right,” her boyfriend and traveling companion replied. “We’ll get the hell out here as soon as possible.”

While her Trainer started running, Togetic she started flying faster than normally to keep up with Misty. Pikachu quickly ran as well, and was able to keep up with his Trainer too.

“Pikachu, I see you lost some weight, you’re close to your old weight again, just like your weight the last time we were in Johto!” Ash said to his Electric Pokemon. “Pika Pika!” he happily replied. He seemed to be slightly faster than some weeks before.

Half an hour later, they got close to the end of the forest. Then, Ash saw a young, blonde-haired boy wearing jeans and a white t-shirt standing in front of them, together with a Ledyba flying around him.

“Hey, that’s a great Ledyba you’ve got there!” Ash shouted at him.

“Thank you, that’s nice of you! I just started as a Pokemon Trainer, and Ledyba and me are training,” the boy said. “Are you a Trainer too?”

“Yes, I am” Ash responded. “How about a quick battle?” Misty looked afraid after hearing that question, in fear of having to be in the forest longer than necessary.

“Squirtle, evade and use your Water Gun!” Ash shouted. Squirtle jumped, evading the Swift, and spit water out of his mouth at Ledyba, who got water drops all over its body after the attack.

“Ledyba, use your Thunderpunch, that works well against Water Pokemon!” Stan said. Ledyba tried to let the electricity go to his fist, so the ladybug could hit his opponent. However, a loud, booming sound and some smoke followed. When the smoke was gone, Ledyba was lying on the ground, unable to battle. ”Ledyba, no!” Stan screamed.

“Yay! I won, Misty,” Ash said happily. And to Squirtle: “You were amazing!” Squirtle jumped in Ash’s arms from happiness.

“Ash, you just got lucky,” Misty replied. “ If that kid would’ve been more experienced, he would’ve never let a wet Pokemon use an Electric attack.”

“Who cares?” Ash responded, after calling Squirtle back into his Poke Ball. “I’m the winner!”

“Stan, next time your Ledyba is wet, don’t use Thunderpunch,” Misty said to her boyfriend’s opponent. “Water conducts electricity.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for telling me!” Stan responded.

“Good. Now you should go to a Pokemon centre,” Misty said.

“Okay, I will. Bye, Ash and Misty!” Ash and Misty also said goodbye to Stan.

“Okay, now let’s get out of here, we’re almost at the end of this forest,” Misty suggested. Ash agreed, so they and their Pokemon started running through the forest, and ended up on a grassy road with a river next to it.

“This is much better than that forest, I’m more comfortable here,” Misty said to Ash.

“I know.” Ash replied.

“Ash, we need to talk about something.” Misty said.

“Huh, what’s up?” Ash asked.

“Why couldn’t you just do what we agreed on in the forest and walk out? Why did you ask that kid to battle you?” Misty asked.

“What’s wrong with that?” Ash responded.

“Well, Ash, we agreed to leave the forest as fast as possible and to run out of it, then battling in the forest isn’t right,” she said.

“Sorry Misty, I just felt like battling!” he answered.

“It’s not only now, it’s just about always. Pokemon battles rule your life! Can’t you see there’s more than Pokemon battles in life?” she asked.

“Pokemon battles are my life! Why is that wrong?” he asked.

“Because your life revolves around it,” she said.

“So what?” Ash asked.

“It’s the only thing you spend time on! When we travelled six years ago, I wanted to confess my feelings to you. But you only seemed interested in Pokemon. Sure, you sometimes showed interest in me, but you caring more about Pokemon than about love made me so insecure, and that made me lack the guts to confess. I had six years of insecurity and doubt about whether you’d want a relationship with me or not!” Misty replied, with tears flowing through her face.

“But Misty, now we’re together, why would that still matter?” Ash replied.

“Because of missing you for years! I love you!” Misty replied, with tears in her eyes.

“Misty, you should see it from the other side. The fact that we never lost our feelings for each other in those six years means we must really love each other!” Ash replied.

“Well, I guess you’re right. And there’s nothing we can do about it now anymore anyways,” Misty said, wiping her tears away.

“That’s true,” Ash replied, while he and Misty walked onwards, on their way to Goldenrod City.

“Well, Ash talked himself out of this... He thinks everything’s fine and doesn’t realize he needs to get rid of that obsession... How can I make him realize there’s more than Pokemon battling in life?” Misty thought.

“Misty, look!” Ash said. “It’s Team Rocket’s balloon!”

“Oh no, it’s Team Rocket!” Misty replied. They saw a Meowth-shaped hot air balloon in the sku, with a giant vacuum cleaner attached to the bottom of the basket, in which a Meowth was standing next two to people. One of them, the red-haired woman dressed in a tuxedo shouted “Prepare for trouble!”

Then, the purple-haired man wearing a pink ballet dress said “And make it double!” Team Rocket then continued their anthem, with Jessie and James saying one sentence in turns.

“To protect the world from devastation!”

“To unite all people within our nation!”

“To denounce the evil of truth and love!”

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

“Jessie!”

“James!”

“Team Rocket, blast off with the speed of light!”

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

Then, Meowth said “Meowth, that’s right!”

“Hey, why are you two dressed like that?” Ash shouted.

“We hoped you wouldn’t recognize us!” James responded.

“Well, we’ll always recognize that balloon!” Misty replied.

Then, James pressed the button of a remote control. The vacuum cleaner swallowed Ash’s Pikachu, who ended up being in a cage attached to the vacuum cleaner. “No, Pikachu!” Ash screamed. James turned off the vacuum cleaner, and the balloon flew away.

“I’ll handle this,” Misty said. “Togetic, use your Steel Wing on that balloon!” The Happiness Pokemon, who was faster than the balloon, did what her Trainer told her, cutting through the balloon, making it crash down on the ground.

Misty picked up the cage in which Pikachu was held prisoner. “And now break the cage with a Double-Edge!” The cage broke, enabling Pikachu to escape and jump in Ash’s arms. “Thank you, Togetic!” Ash said. Pikachu also happily thanked Togetic.

“Togetic, now make them blast off with Solarbeam!” Misty commanded. The sun was shining, so Solarbeam didn’t require charging up. A strong beam was shot at the evil enemies, who blasted off and were shot in the sky. Jessie, James and Meowth used their catchphrase simultaneously. “Team Rocket is blasting off again!”

“Well done, Misty!” Ash said.

“Thank you,” she answered. She and her boyfriend travelled onwards. They saw grasslands, the sun was shining and a lake was next to the road. Then, they heard a voice. A blue-haired girl wearing a pink dress shouted “Hey, Ash and Misty!”

“Hey, Ash, look! It’s Marina!” Misty said to Ash. Then, she started talking to Marina. “Hello Marina, how are you?” she asked.

“Fine, and my Pokemon are also doing well. I also caught a new Pokemon recently. How about a battle?” her rival responded.

“Thank you,” Misty responded. She and Marina called respectively Marill and Piplup back in their Poke Balls.

After having dinner together with Marina, Ash and Misty went onwards. “Marina, we’ll be going onwards now, so we can reach the Pokemon Center close to this place before it gets dark, so we can stay the night there. I think we’ll arrive in Goldenrod City in a few days,” Misty explained.

“Okay, I’ll train some more here and then sleep in my sleeping bag and then I’ll go back to Azelea Town to get a Lure Ball from Kurt,” Marina replied. “Bye, Ash and Misty!”

“Bye, Marina!” Ash and Misty said simultaneously. They continued their way to the Pokemon Center.

“Misty, I’ll try your Grass Knot strategy with Bayleef in my next battle, combined with Sweet Scent, making opponents unable to attack and then attacking yourselves is useful” Ash said.

“That’s a nice idea,” Misty responded.

“Yeah, that’s what I was planning to try,” Ash responded. They reached the Pokemon Center.

Then, right in front of the Pokemon Center, Ash and Misty saw a red limousine stopping close to them. Gary was sitting in the limousine with his cheerleaders, who were singing a jolly tune. “"Gary, Gary, he's our man. If he can't do it, no one can!”

Then, Ash’s rival stepped out of his car. “Hey, Ashyboy!”

“What are you doing here? And where is your girlfriend, Jasmine?” Ash asked. His voice sounded annoyed.

“I was just driving here on my way to the Goldenrod City department store, and then I saw you and Misty, so I decided to stop the car,” Gary responded. “And I had a little fight with Jasmine, so I dumped her.”

“Why did you stop the car here?” Ash asked.

“Because I wanna battle you again!” Gary responded. “How about a double battle in which we both use two Pokemon?”

“Good luck, Ash! Pikachu, Togetic and I will be rooting for you,” Misty said.

“Bulbasaur, use your Grass Knot against Beedrill!” Ash commanded. “And Bayleef, use your Grass Knot against Furret!” Ropes of grass came out of the ground, wrapping around Gary’s Pokemon. “Bayleef, use Sweet Scent on both opponents!” By doing that, Bayleef mellowed her opponents down. Furret and Beedrill weren’t concentrated on battling anymore.

“Now, Bulbasaur and Bayleef, use Solarbeam on respectively Beedrill and Furret!” Ash commanded. Gary’s Pokemon were tied up by Grass Knot, and were unable to do anything against their opponents because of Sweet Scent, so Ash’s Pokemon could safely charge up. After charging, they let a strong beam escape their mouth, harshly hitting Gary’s Pokemon. He saw they were defeated and called them back in their Poke Ball.

Sorry it took so long. I think this chapter shows some improvement because I thought it was very well paced and you introduced Stan. For some reason I imagined him looking a bit like Trip only paler.

And this part confused me:

“Pikachu, I see you lost some weight, you’re close to your old weight again, just like when we started travelling, in Kanto!” Ash said to his Electric Pokemon. “Pika Pika!” he happily replied. He seemed to be faster than some weeks before.

This stood out for me. I know it's your fic and you can disregard this but I watched the first episode not so long ago and Pikachu was quite round and over the years he's actually lost a lot of weight. So if he was coming close to his old weight, wouldn't it be you've put some weight on. But I can see why you wouldn't put that.

You could say gain muscle because that could fit in quite well with what you mentioned about Pikachu's speed improving.

And I really liked this part:

“Ash, you just got lucky,” Misty replied. “ If that kid would’ve been more experienced, he would’ve never let a wet Pokemon use an Electric attack.”

“Who cares?” Ash responded, after calling Squirtle back into his Poke Ball. “I’m the winner!”

“Stan, next time your Ledyba is wet, don’t use Thunderpunch,” Misty said to her boyfriend’s opponent. “Water conducts electricity.”

I thought this was a nice touch. It made me feel as if Ash had predicted a thundermove on Squirtle and with Misty specializing in water types, this part felt really logical and made a whole lot of sense. And again, I don't think electric needs a capital E.

I think this chapter shows some improvement because I thought it was very well paced and you introduced Stan. For some reason I imagined him looking a bit like Trip only paler.

Thank you! The pacing is also why I think this chapter shows some improvement. And I think introducing Stan was good, because of a lack of OC characters of the day so far. Only having old rivals appear is unrealistic, so having OC characters of the day for Ash and Misty to battle is better. I'll be introducing more simple character of the day OC's like that from now on.

And this part confused me:

This stood out for me. I know it's your fic and you can disregard this but I watched the first episode not so long ago and Pikachu was quite round and over the years he's actually lost a lot of weight. So if he was coming close to his old weight, wouldn't it be you've put some weight on. But I can see why you wouldn't put that.

You could say gain muscle because that could fit in quite well with what you mentioned about Pikachu's speed improving.

Well, in the beginning of the fic, Pikachu was overweight (which started as a joke because of me accidentally drawing Pikachu too fat once quite some time ago, many people liked it, Angel too, so I put that in the fic), but later, I decided Pikachu will have the weight and appearance from Kanto (Pikachu being overweight didn't really have a point), so Pikachu needed to lose some weight. Now, people still think Pikachu's weight is funny/cute and I think Pikachu being overweight didn't really have a point, so it's better this way. It would've been more logical to have the Kanto weight from the start, but now this is the best way to fix this. Maybe I'll let Pikachu not be overweight at all when I revise the chapters (I'll revise all chapters when I finished the whole fic).

And I really liked this part:

I thought this was a nice touch. It made me feel as if Ash had predicted a thundermove on Squirtle and with Misty specializing in water types, this part felt really logical and made a whole lot of sense. And again, I don't think electric needs a capital E.

Thank you! Electric does need a capital E, Pokemon types do require capital letters. At least, I used them throughout the whole fic, not doing it now would be pretty inconsistent. And Ash didn't predict anything, he just got lucky: Stan told Ledyba to use Thunderpunch, but he didn't know about water conducting electricity, so that went wrong.

But other than that nice work.

Thank you! I don't think it's a good chapter, I'm not satisfied, but I do see some improvement, because of the better pacing. It at least means there's some significant improvement.

EDIT: I edited out the entire Pikachu weight thing, it's just pointless.

“We’re finally there! Finally!” Ash shouted, with a big smile and a competitive fire burning in his heart and eyes.

“Goldenrod City,” Misty replied. “It took a while, but we’re here.”

“The first thing we should do is going to the Gym, so I can beat Whitney and get a Plain Badge! The Gym is very close to the entrance of the city!” he responded. He started running, and Misty ran along, knowing she had no choice.

“I knew he’d do that...” Misty thought. “Oh well, then let’s save the clothe shopping for later, even though my current outfit is getting quite chilly now.” The weather wasn’t as warm as it used to be, autumn had started, but Misty was still wearing a revealing summer outfit: she forget to take warmer clothes with her when she left Cerulean City to travel again.

“Hurry Misty, we’re almost there!” Ash shouted, with Pikachu being on his shoulder. Misty ran after him, and Togetic flew after him. “Ash, slow down, please...”

“No, Misty, we’re already there,” he replied, standing before a big building with a glass door. He opened the door and went in, together with Misty, Pikachu and Togetic. “Welcome, Ash! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you,” a pink-haired woman wearing a white, long-sleeved dress said. “Are you here to battle?”

“Of course,” Ash responded. “I want a Plain Badge, and it’s also a nice chance for revenge. Last time, you gave me the Badge while I didn’t win under fair conditions, because you only used one Pokemon while I used three. Now I want a fair win.”

“That’s nice, but you won’t get revenge. I’ll beat you,” the Goldenrod City Gym Leader replied.

“Castform, use your Flamethrower,” Whitney commanded. Flames came out of Castform’s mouth, hitting Bulbasaur, who was unable to evade because of charging for a Solarbeam.

“Bulbasaur, no!” Ash screamed. His heart was beating fast, because of the tension. “Can you go on?” Bulbasaur stood up, but looked exhausted.

“Bulbasaur, let’s beat him with Razor Leaf,” Ash said. Leaves were hurled at the Weather Pokemon, who barely got hit.

“Castform, now use your Icy Wind,” Whitney commanded. A chilly breeze could be felt in the Gym, and Ash saw how Bulbasaur was too weak to avoid the cold attack. Then, Bulbasaur collapsed!

“Yeah, Castform, we can do it!” Whitney said with a big smile.

“Bulbasaur, you did a very nice job. Come back,” Ash said, returning the beaten Grass Pokemon to his Poke Ball. Then, he took another Poke Ball from his belt, sending out his next Pokemon. “Totodile, go!”

“Castform, let’s get our second win in a row,” Whitney said. “Thunder!” A big shockwave was aimed at Totodile. The crocodile Pokemon was zapped, but stood up, and even started jumping and dancing.

“How can he dance after such a shock?” Whitney asked.

“I’m afraid Ash’s Totodile’s got ADD,” Misty replied.

“We can do it, Totodile!” Ash said energetically. “Use your Ice Beam!” Castform got stuck in the ice, and changed his shape. He turned blue, and looked like a snowy cloud.

“Now, Totodile, use your Focus Punch!” Ash commanded. Because Castform was unable to move in the ice, Totodile had all time to focus and prepare. “Now!” Ash shouted. Totodile raised his right fist, and broke through the ice, hitting Castform harshly. The transformed Pokemon was done for.

“You did a good job, Castform. Have some rest,” Whitney said. She returned Castform to her Poke Ball, and sent out Miltank, her signature Pokemon.

“Totodile, we can do it. Use your Headbutt!” Ash commanded. The crocodile ran at the cow Pokemon, and hit her. However, Miltank didn’t look harmed.

“Now use your Rollout!” Whitney commanded. Miltank lay on her back and started rolling around the battlefield, harshly hitting Totodile, who already had a hard fight against Castform.

“No, Totodile!” Ash shouted. “Can you get up?” The Water Pokemon tried to stand up, and succeeded in that. “Yeah, Totodile!” Ash said. “Now let’s use Dragonbreath!” A green ray came out of Totodile’s mouth, hitting Miltank, who looked damaged by the attack.

“Miltank, let’s do this now. Use your Tackle!” The cow Pokemon ran at Totodile, and hit him. The Water Pokemon fell down on the ground and couldn’t stand up anymore.

“Totodile, you did a great job! Come back and have some rest,” Ash said. “I’ve got only one Pokemon left. Squirtle, go!” A turtle Pokemon came out of Ash’s Poke Ball.

“Squirtle, use your Water Gun!” Ash shouted. Water was aimed at Miltank, who got wet, but didn’t look injured.

“Miltank, use your Body Slam!” Whitney commanded. The cow Pokemon hit the turtle before he had a chance to evade. Squirtle looked hurt and seemed to be exhausted. He tried to stand up.

“Squirtle, you can do it!” Ash shouted.

“Pika Pika!” Ash’s Pikachu added to that.

“Come on, Squirtle, I know you can beat that Miltank!” Misty shouted.

“Toge Togetic,” Togetic said.

Squirtle then stood up, even though it was just barely. The turtle Pokemon knew he had to finish the battle quickly, he couldn’t take much more. Both Ash and Whitney noticed that as well.

“Squirtle, Bubblebeam,” Ash said to Squirtle. Bubbles were spit at Miltank, who got hit quite harshly. The force of the bubbles took their toll on Miltank, who looked exhausted, but wasn’t defeated yet.

“Miltank, let’s finish this once and for all with Rollout!” Whitney shouted. The cow Pokemon rolled at Squirtle at high speed.

“Squirtle, Wirthdraw!” Ash shouted. Squirtle hid his legs, arms, tail and head in his shell. It was just in time: just before Miltank hit the shell, Squirtle was fully wirthdrawn in his crust. Even though he was blown in the air at high speed, he didn’t suffer from the attack. “Now use Hydro Pump!” High-powered rays of water came out of the shell, throwing Miltank at the wall.

“And now finish her off with Skull Bash!” his Trainer commanded. The turtle came out of his shell and hurled himself at Miltank, hitting her with his head at high speed. Miltank was exhausted. She lied on the ground and didn’t move anymore.

“Miltank, you did well. Have some deserved rest,” Whitney said to her Pokemon. Then, she walked to Ash, who was celebrating the win with Squirtle. “Ash, you’ve done a great job, you deserve this Plain Badge!” she said. She gave Ash his reward: a badge.

Ash and Misty said goodbye to Whitney and left the Gym. When they walked out of the building, Ash felt a blow in his stomach. “What was that?” he asked.

“It’s a Growlithe,” Misty said. The Fire Pokemon lied on the ground after bumping into Ash. Then, it stood up and tried to attack Misty, who padded it because she felt sorry for it after bumping into Ash.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt on that Growlithe,” Ash commanded. As his trainer said, Pikachu zapped Growlithe, who was defeated. “Go, Poke Ball!” Ash shouted, hurling a red and white ball at the dog Pokemon. After waiting a few seconds, Ash saw Growlithe was caught.

However, then the Poke Ball suddenly disappeared. “Misty, let’s go to the Pokemon Center to use a phone there. Then we can get Growlithe here,” Ash proposed.

“Okay, but I also want to shop here before we leave this city,” Misty said. She and Ash started walking to the Pokemon Center, which was very close by the Gym.

“But that’s boring!” Ash replied.

“I don’t care, I really want this, whether you like it or not!” Misty replied, looking annoyed and slightly mad.

“Oh all right...” Ash said. “But only if you won’t ask me for my opinion on every item you try on.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have any sense of how good clothes look anyways,” Misty said with a smile. Ash looked like he was annoyed.

Then, they arrived at the Pokemon Center and dialled Professor Oaks phone number.

“Hello, Ash and Misty,” the Professor said.

“Hello Professor,” Ash and Misty said simultaneously.

“Ash, can I ask you a favour?” Oak asked.

“Of course!” Ash replied.

“There have been fires around Pallet Town recently, and the fire fighting squad could use some help. Could you please send Squirtle to me? Then he can stay at the laboratory like your other Pokemon, and can be called upon when there’s a fire,” Oak explained.

“Ash, now we’re going to shop,” Misty said. She and Ash walked out of the Pokemon Center and set course to the mall. They walked through the streets of Goldenrod City, and saw buildings like the Radio Tower, and the Goldenrod City Department Store, which sold Pokemon goods and lots of potions and curing items. But Ash and Misty wouldn’t go there, they were heading to the shopping mall.

“This is gonna be boring...” he thought. “Misty, is there anything I can do to not have to do this?” he asked.

“No, there isn’t,” she replied.

Then, Ash saw a billboard with some Bug Pokemon on it, and read the text. “Are you a Pokemon Trainer? If yes, take part in the Bug Catching Contest! 1 September in the National Park!”

“Misty, the Bug Catching Contest is next Saturday! That’s only three days from now. I’m gonna participate.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanna win, I’m already excited,” he replied. But there was no excitement now: he walking to the shopping mall, because Misty wanted to go there...

“Ash, is this really necessary?” Misty asked.

“Yes, it is! And I think it’s fair,” he replied. “You get to go to the shopping mall now, which I hate, so me going to that contest which you hate should be fair.”

“He’s right...” she thought. “It would be unfair to forbid him, but I can’t stand those bugs...” Then, she looked at Ash and said “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

Then, they arrived at a store. Misty entered the shop and went to the jeans department. She tried on different jeans, and asked Ash which one he liked the most. He didn’t care, and kept saying that. He also didn’t understand how he should judge what looks the best on Misty. “Misty, I’m so bored...” he said.

“Well, I’ll be bored during the Bug Catching Contest, and we won’t stop shopping until I have jeans, a coat for the winter and a cardigan!” she replied.

“Then I hope that won’t take too long...” he responded.

“Ash, I have an idea to make this somewhat less boring for you,” she proposed. “Maybe you need some new clothes too?”

“But that’s even more annoying than waiting for you!” he said.

“Well, maybe you also need a coat for when it’s colder,” Misty said. “Here, try this one on, I think it’ll look good on you.” Ash tried on the green winter jacket. “Hey, it does look good on you!” she said.

“Well, you are right about me needing a coat for the winter, so let’s buy it,” Ash said.

Half an hour later, Misty finally found jeans she liked. She walked at Ash and asked him whether they looked nice on her or not. But Ash didn’t respond: he was sleeping on a chair in the shop.

“Ash, wake up!” Misty shouted in his ear.

“What... I was sleeping... And shopping here is so boring... Misty, was that really necessary?” he asked.

“Yes, it was!” Misty answered. “Now, do you think I look good in these jeans or not?”

“What... Yes...zzzz...” Ash replied with a sleepy face, almost falling asleep again. He didn’t slumber again: Misty prevented that with her iron right fist.

“Okay, sorry! I’ll stay awake now... But Misty, can we go now? Let’s just go to the pay check and leave this stupid shop,” Ash proposed.

“No,” Misty replied.

“Why not?” he asked.

“I also want to buy a cardigan and a coat here. The temperatures are going down lately, and only having the belly top I’m wearing now is too chilly,” Misty said. “I want a cardigan to wear over this top, and also want a coat for when winter starts.”

“Shall I help you looking for clothes? Then we’ll be finished sooner,” Ash proposed.

“Hey, Ash, I like it! I’ll try it on.” Misty replied. She put on the black garment and looked in a mirror on the wall. “Thanks, Ash! I don’t know how, but you found a nice cardigan for me, in the right size!”

“Well, it means we can get out of this stupid store faster,” he responded.

“Um... Indeed,” she said. Then, she and Ash walked to the coats department. There, Misty saw a long, red winter jacked. She tried it on, and found out it fitted her well. She also thought it looked nice on her, and decided to buy it.

After standing in a long line for the pay check for half an hour (which made Ash even more bored and annoyed than he already was), Misty finally purchased the clothes she wanted. She went to a fitting room to put on her jeans after paying for the clothes, and put her shorts and jacket in her bag. She put on her new cardigan too, but left it open. Ash put his coat in his bad. Then, she and Ash finally left the store, much to Ash’s happiness. Pikachu and Togetic also were glad to leave the store: human’s clothing didn’t interest the two Pokemon, who were quietly following their trainers around while being bored all the time in the store.

“I’m sure glad we’re out of that store,” Ash said.

“I’m glad I found nice clothes in just one store, that went faster than I expected,” Misty replied. “Now let’s move on to National Park.”

“National Park, here we come!” Ash shouted with a lot of enthusiasm. He started running at high speed, with Misty, Pikachu and Togetic trying to keep up with him. Then, Togetic said something to Pikachu: “To Togetic!”

It was a nice autumn afternoon when Ash and Misty were walking to National Park, after having lunch. Soon, they would be there where Ash was going to take part in the Bug Catching Contest this afternoon, just like he did six years ago.

“Ash, is there nothing I can do to make you skip this contest?” Misty begged, looking really sad.

“No. I went clothe shopping with you, this is the least you could do in return,” Ash responded.

Then, when they reached the entrance of National Park, Ash saw a phone and quickly decided to call Professor Oak.

“Hey Ash, it’s good to see you,” he said.

“Professor Oak, I quickly want to get my Quilava for the Bug Catching Contest,” Ash said.

“Okay, but I need Quilava back for my research immediately after the contest. What Pokemon will you send to me?”

“I’ll send you Pidgeot.”

And so, the trade happened. Ash and Professor Oak said goodbye to each other.

Misty tried to change the topic. “And how are you doing as a Pokemon Doctor?”

“I quit,” Brock said. Ash and Misty looked surprised?

“Why? You seemed dedicated to that when we parted in Sinnoh...” Ash asked.

“It’s nice to help injured Pokemon, but I miss what I really love doing: being a Pokemon Breeder. A doctor can only take care of injured Pokemon, while I want to learn more about Pokemon and treat and train them well when they’re healthy too. So from now on, I’ll go traveling again and work on becoming a better Pokemon Breeder,” Brock replied.

“That’s just like Gary! He said he missed being a Pokemon trainer and now he’s my rival again, and acts like a total dick to me...” Ash said.

“Does he also drive around in a limousine with his cheerleaders again?” Brock asked.

“Yes, he does,” Misty answered.

“I’d love to see that...” Brock said.

Then, a purple-haired girl came at Ash, Misty and Brock. “Hello! It’s great to see you all again,” she said.

“Hi Casey!” Ash, Misty and Brock said simultaneously.

“Meganium, let’s sing!” Casey ordered. And so it happened: Casey started singing the Electabuzz victory song. “Come on Electabuzz, the greatest team of all...” Ash, Misty and Brock didn’t listen, while Pikachu and Togetic were dancing together with Casey’s Meganium.

Then, they heard a loud voice out of a microphone. “Trainers, the Bug Catching Contest will start in five minutes. All Trainers can get Park Balls upon entering the National Park. When you caught a Pokemon you’re satisfied with, return to the entrance. Each trainer is only allowed to use one Pokemon. After an hour, we’ll take a look at the Pokemon you’ve caught and decide the winner. The winner gets to keep his or her Pokemon and will win a Sun Stone.”

Ash took a Poke Ball from his belt. “Quilava, I choose you!” Ash said. “Hey, Quilava, long time no see!” Quilava looked happy. “Quilava!”

Then, Casey and Brock also chose their Pokemon for the contest. Casey decided to take part with her Electabuzz, while Brock chose his Ludicolo.

Then, when the contest started, Misty went to the stand after wishing Ash, Brock and Casey good luck. She wanted to be as far away from the bugs as possible. Those scary insects scared the hell out of her. Her Togetic accompanied her, while Ash and Casey left Pikachu and Meganium with her as well.

Ash walked through the grass and saw a group of trees. When looking there, he saw a Volbeat. The firefly was sitting on a branch. “Quilava, hit it with your Flamethrower!” Ash commanded. The Fire Pokemon spit some fire at the Bug Pokemon, who fell down the tree. It was knocked out, so Ash threw a Park Ball. Volbeat was caught! “Yay, I’ve got... a Volbeat!” he shouted so loud, that the whole park could hear him. Quilava also danced from happiness like he was Totodile.

“Great, Ludicolo!” Brock said. “Park Ball, go!” After a few seconds, the Park Ball stopped moving and Parasect was caught.

On the other side of the park, Casey was having more trouble. While Brock and Ash were already at the entrance with their bugs, Casey was still searching with only ten minutes left. She wasn’t even able to find a Weedle or a Caterpie!

However, with only eight minutes left, she saw a big, yellow and black striped Pokemon sleeping. A Vespiquen! Not only a very strong Pokemon, also a Pokemon fitting Casey’s preference for Pokemon with black and yellow stripes. This was a dream come true for the Electabuzz baseball fan. And the bee Pokemon was sleeping, so catching it shouldn’t be too hard. Casey decided to throw a Park Ball without battling, but the Vespiquen came out of the Park Ball, and was awake too!

“Electabuzz, it looks like we gotta battle for this! Use your Thunder!” Then, the bee went down. “Park Ball, go!” Casey shouted. She prayed to Arceus, hoping to catch Vespiquen this time. Arceus granted her wish: she captured the bee!

“Yay, I’ve got.. a Vespiquen!” she shouted. Then, she and her Electabuzz hurried to the entrance. She was just in time: there were two minutes left.

Meanwhile, at the stand, Misty was waiting. She got lucky: in the past hour, no Bug Pokemon crawled on her legs yet. However, she didn’t get that lucky: behind her back, Togetic was having a conversation with a wild Ariados and a wild Ledian. Pikachu tapped her back and pointed at Togetic and the bugs. Then, Misty went crazy. “AAAHHH! BUGS!!! HELP!”

Pikachu was shocked by Misty’s reaction, even though he knew about her bug phobia. Pikachu couldn’t help it: he shocked Misty, Togetic and the wild bugs. Meganium got lucky: she didn’t get affected by the Electric attack. Ledian and Ariados quickly went away at the speed of light, but not as fast as Team Rocket when they’re sent flying.

Then, the event was finally over. Misty and the Pokemon went back to their friends.

“Hey, Misty, you and Togetic look hot-headed and a bit electric...” Ash said. He was laughing.

“What happened to you?” Casey asked.

“Togetic was having a conversation with two wild Bug Pokemon, I got scared and Pikachu got shocked by that, and shocked us...” Misty replied.

“Well, you’re still not over that fear,” Brock mentioned.

“I probably never will,” Misty said.

Then, the announcer announced the results. “Third, with a beautiful Vespiquen, Casey! Give her a big applause!” Casey went on a stage, and looked disappointed: she didn’t get to keep her newly caught bug.

“Second, with a strong Volcarona, Bugsy!” The Azalea Town Gym Leader took part in this contest every year, as a Bug Pokemon lover. He walked up on the stage, and was unable to keep Volcarona. “I was so close...” he thought.

“And the winner is, with a remarkably strong Parasect, Brock!” the announcer stated.

“YAHOO! FIRST PRIZE!” Brock screamed from happiness. “AND FINALLY A PARASECT!” He ran up on the stage and got his prize. But what was more important to him, was that he also was able to keep his Parasect!

Then, the contest ended. Many people left National Park. Ash, Misty and Brock said goodbye to Casey, who went back to Goldenrod City to catch the Magnet Train to Saffron City. She was travelling through Kanto. But before she left, she sang the Electabuzz Victory Song once more, to Ash’s, Misty’s and Brock’s annoyance and Pikachu’s and Togetic’s pleasure.

“Brock, congratulations with your Parasect! Why did you want one so badly?” Ash asked.

“Thanks, Ash! And Parasect can produce all sorts of medicinal powder, which is always great for a Pokemon Breeder,” Brock answered.

“Where will you be going now?” Misty asked.

“Um... I don’t know,” he said.

“Hey, I know! Brock, how about traveling with me and Misty again for the time being, just like before?” Ash suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Misty added to that.

“Of course,” Brock replied happily. “Thank you! But only for a short while: when Pike Queen Lucy returns from her holiday to Dewford Island, I want to be back in Kanto, so I might have a shot at getting together with her! She really liked me when we visited her years ago, so maybe I can stand a chance.”

“You’re welcome,” Misty said. “And I’ve never met Lucy, but from what Ash told me about her, you and her can be a great couple! When will she return?”

“In three weeks,” Brock said.

“Where will you two be going now?” Brock asked.

“We’re off to Ecruteak City,” Ash said. “Then we’ll head for Olivine City and then we’ll go to the Whirl Islands, where Misty will take part in the Whirl Cup.”

“Okay, that’s cool. Then I’ll travel with you two until Ash won his Badge in Ecruteak City, then I’ll take the plane back to Kanto. I also have a suggestion: I saw a billboard at the airport of Pewter City about the Catch-A-Seaking competition, in which Misty also took part six years ago. Maybe you two could take part again,” Brock suggested.

Then, Ash, Misty and Brock walked onwards. However, after two minutes, Misty said “Ash, you forget to send Quilava back to Professor Oak!” And so, our heroes went back to the National Park entrance, and gave their friend a phone call.

“Hello, Ash!” Professor Oak said. “How was the contest? Did you win?”

“Unfortunately, no. Brock won,” Ash said.

“Aww, that’s too bad for you and Quilava. Could I have your Quilava back?” the professor responded.

Then, Ash put the Poke Ball on a platform next to the video phone. The Poke Ball got transported and got replaced by another Poke Ball, in which Noctowl was. Ash and Professor Oak said goodbye to each other.

“Noctowl, I choose you! You know what needs to be done!” Ash said. The owl with the odd colours came out of the Poke Ball and popped Team Rocket’s balloon, just like he did in the old days. “Thank you, Noctowl. Return!” Jessie, James and Meowth lay on the ground, and just stood up.

“Why did you do that, twerps?” Jessie asked.

“Yeah, we didn’t do anything yet!” James shouted angrily.

“Well, you two are never up to anything good,” Misty replied.

“I’ll handle this further. Hoppip, I choose you!” Misty shouted. However, instead of the pink Grass Pokemon, Psyduck decided to come out of its Poke Ball.

“Psyduck, that was very naughty!” Misty shouted.

“Psy...” the not so smart duck said, not understanding what was going on.

“Psyduck, hit that balloon with your Psybeam now!” Misty snapped, getting more and more angry at her Pokemon. Psyduck didn’t understand.

Then, it was all too much for Misty. She collected all her power and hit Psyduck on his head with her strong right fist. Then, Psyduck got a headache, triggering its psychic powers. He used Psychic, and Team Rocket went blasting off again! Misty returned Psyduck to its Poke Ball.

“We didn’t do anything wrong... This is unfair!” Jessie said.

“We just have to live with it... Every time we encounter the twerps, we’ll be attacked, whether we did something wrong or not...” James said in a sad voice.

“We didn’t even get to say our anthem,” Meowth said. He started crying.

Then, Jessie’s Wobbuffet popped out of its Poke Ball. “Wobbuffet!”

“Team Rocket is blasting off again!” Jessie and James said simultaneously.

”Meowth!” the talking cat added to that.

“We disposed of them nicely,” Brock said.

“Your Psyduck is strong, even more impressive than how short your temper is,” Ash said to his girlfriend.

“I don’t have a short temper!” Misty snapped at Ash.

“Misty, you obviously have an anger problem,” Brock said. “You can only solve problems if you accept them, and don’t deny them.”

“I don’t have an anger problem!” Misty screamed. Ash and Brock were scared and stopped talking about it.

Later that afternoon, after walking further, our heroes saw a blonde-haired girl wearing skinny jeans and an “I love Gary” T-shirt practicing her dance moves. “Gary, Gary, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!” she muttered. Next to her was a Fearow dancing along.

“Hello, are you a Gary fan?” Ash asked.

“Yes, I am, I’m practicing my dance moves, hoping to ever become one of his cheerleaders,” the girl replied. Then, she looked into Ash’s eyes, and shouted “But you are even hotter than Gary!” She gave Ash a hug and attempted to kiss him on the cheek.

However, Misty prevented that by pushing the Gary fangirl away. “Sorry, but he already has a girlfriend!” she shouted.

“Thanks, Misty!” Ash whispered.

“Hey, girl, you won’t get Ash, but you can have me! What’s your name? I’m Brock,” the former Pewter City Gym Leader said.

“I’m Anne. And this is my pal Fearow. And I’m not interested in a relationship with you,” the girl said. “I only want Ash or Gary.”

Then, she walked up to Misty. “Don’t be so protective of Ash! Maybe he wants me. It’s up to him to choose!”

“Sorry, but he’s in a relationship with me and he loves me! He thanked me for saving him from your kiss!” Misty snapped.

“Let’s battle about that!” Anne proposed. “One on one”

“Ash’s heart decided he chooses me, but if you want me to humiliate you in a battle, be my guest!” Misty replied. “Go, Hoppip!”

“Oh no, Misty is at a type disadvantage...” the heartbroken Brock said.

“Brock, you don’t know that Hoppip,” Ash said. “That Pokemon is a beast.”

“Hoppip, suck all energy out of the bird with your Leech Seed!” Misty commanded. Fearow still felt the tickle and wasn’t concentrated enough to evade the attack. Vines came out of the seed shot by Hoppip and covered Fearow.

“Hoppip, let’s finish this with Seed Bomb!” the former Cerulean City Gym Leader said. Seeds were hurled at Fearow, who was done for.

“Fearow is defeated. Victory goes to Misty and Hoppip!” Brock the referee stated. Misty gave Hoppip a hug, and Togetic was happy too. The Happiness Pokemon congratulated her friend Hoppip, just before Pikachu gave Togetic a big hug. Then, the Grass Pokemon was recalled to his Poke Ball.

“Anne, I told you you were going down, and my prediction came true,” Misty said.

“You’re right... I’m the laughing stock of the Goldenrod City Gary Fan Club!” Anne replied. She started crying.

“How many members does that lame club have?” Ash asked.

“I’m the only member,” Anne cried. Then, Ash, Misty and Brock walked away, with Togetic flying next to them and Pikachu sitting on Ash’s shoulder.

“Misty, that Hoppip is very impressive!” Brock said, while our heroes were walking through the grasslands.

“Thank you!” Misty said.

Then, our heroes walked onwards. Onwards to the pond on this road, which was still quite some miles away. And onwards to Ecruteak City.

On a nice, sunny autumn afternoon, our heroes were heading forward to a big lake down the road to Ecruteak City. There, Misty would participate in the Catch-A-Seaking Contest. In that contest, participants are allowed to use one Pokemon and a rod of their choice, and have one hour to catch a Seaking, using Lake Balls. The participant catching the heaviest Seaking is the winner, and will get a trophy and a year’s supply of chocolate. Participants are not allowed to keep the Seaking, and are also not allowed to catch a Seaking if that Seaking has been defeated by another participant.

“We’re almost there, I can already see a flag of the contest,” Brock said after looking on his map. “And we still have one and a half hour before the contest starts.”

“I’m so excited! And the prize is a year’s supply of chocolate,” Misty replied. “And of course the trophy would also be awesome to have!”

“Brock, how about a practice battle? In the meantime, Misty can register for the contest,” Ash proposed.

“Good idea, Ash! But I won’t go easy on you!” Brock replied.

“Totodile, I choose you!” Ash shouted.

“Marshtomp, let’s beat him!” Brock said.

“Totodile, start this battle with Headbutt!” Ash said. Totodile ran at Marshtomp and immediately started the battle with a harsh hit.

However, Marshtomp also was able to hit Totodile harshly. “Marshtomp, use your Double-Edge!” Brock commanded. A harsh tackle damaged Totodile.

“Marshtomp, use your Water Pulse!” Brock shouted. Some water hit Totodile, who seemed confused after being hit on the head. However, some seconds later, the confusion seemed to be over.

“Totodile, Scary Face!” Ash commanded. Totodile tried to look angry in order to scare Marshtomp, but the Ground Pokemon was laughing instead. In fact, he couldn’t stop! Totodile wasn’t able to scare its opponent, but he was able to distract it: mission accomplished!

“Totodile, now hit him with Hydro Pump before he can stand up!” Ash commanded. Totodile spit water at Marshtomp at high speed, hitting the Ground Pokemon. Marshtomp fell on the ground.

“Marshtomp, can you stand up?” Brock asked. Marshtomp tried, but seemed to be unable to continue this battle.

Ash started celebrating. “Yay, I... WHAT?” Ash interrupted himself and was shocked. Marshtomp started glowing, grew and turned into a Swampert: he evolved!

“Cool, Marshtomp... Er, I mean Swampert, you evolved!” Brock said, looking amazed at his newly evolved Pokemon. “Would you like to continue this battle?” Swampert nodded “yes”, even though he was tired.

“Totodile, let’s end this once and for all! Use your Ice Beam!” Ash commanded.

“Swampert, evade it and use Hyper Beam!” Swampert jumped, started charging, and then, a small explosion followed. When the smoke was gone, Ash and Brock were able to see that both Pokemon were defeated. Totodile was defeated by the strong Hyper Beam, while Swampert was too tired to go on. Using Hyper Beam took a lot of its power.

“Swampert, you battled well. Have some rest,” Brock said gently to his defeated Pokemon. “Ash, you did a fine job,” Brock complimented his friend.

“You did well too,” Ash replied. “And your Marshtomp evolved.” He called Totodile back into his Poke Ball.

Shortly after that, Misty returned from the reception counter. In about half an hour, the contest would start. While Misty walked to the boats she could use for the contest, Ash and Brock walked to the stand to watch the contest, cheer for Misty and take care of her Togetic.

When walking next to the lake, Misty let Dewgong outside of his Poke Ball. “Dewgong, you and me are gonna win the Catch-A-Seaking Contest!”

Dewgong replied with a smile. “Dew gong gong gong!” he said energetically.

Then, Misty saw a familiar face: it was Marina, her rival. “Hey, Marina! It’s good to see you here!” she shouted.

Then, Misty found her boat. She and Dewgong hopped into it. They were ready to start the contest. When she heard the starting signal, Misty went to a spot in the lake where no others were. She took her backpack, took her rod out of it, put a Misty lure on it and hurled it into the water.

After one minute, Misty felt something was on the hook. With a lot of trouble, she reeled in the rod, and a very big Seaking appeared!

“Dewgong, this is our chance to catch a great one! Use your Aurora Beam!” Misty commanded. A beam with beautiful colours hit the wild fish, who wasn’t defeated yet. Instead, the Pokemon swam away from Misty. She tried chasing it with her boat, but was unable to keep up with the speedy fish.

“Well, that was a good show! I’m laughing my ass off!” someone said in a mean voice. Misty turned around and saw Andreas, the man who she battled after catching an equally heavy Seaking six years ago. He was an arrogant person, who ripped on Misty six years ago. And he hasn’t changed a bit.

“Andreas, did you already catch a Seaking?” Misty asked.

“Of course!” he said. “My Mantine is strong enough to beat ‘em in one hit with Wing Attack, unlike your weak Dewgong! We already caught a really fat Seaking, who’ll win us this contest! So now, go away and let Mantine and me relax in the sun!”

Misty drove away. She wanted to get away from that horrible guy as soon as possible. Dewgong had thoughts about hurting Andreas with his horn, but decided to teach Andreas a lesson by beating him instead of being violent.

Meanwhile, Ash and Brock were sitting on the stand. They weren’t paying attention to Misty, they were talking.

“Rarely,” Ash replied. “Six years ago, we met that girl, Giselle. I thought she was totally hot, but I didn’t develop a crush and didn’t fall in love. Aside from that, I never had feelings for others than Misty,” Ash replied.

“What was the moment when you realized and accepted your feelings for Misty?” Brock asked.

“Three years ago, after returning from my second journey through Sinnoh. People often told me I was in love with Misty back when I travelled with her six years ago, but I never believed it. Back then, I felt something, but wasn’t able to define what I felt. Three years ago, that feeling got stronger and stronger, and when my mom said that I probably was in love, I finally realized and accepted all these people were right,” Ash said.

“You are so dense, you should’ve realized this sooner!” Brock snapped.

“When?” Ash asked.

“Back when we travelled, then you could’ve confessed to her before we had to split in Johto,” Brock answered.

“Well, Misty was romantic when she was ten! I talked to her about her feelings for you very often when you were training. She wanted to confess, but was too afraid you’d say no. You only seemed interested in Pokemon, and not in anything else. She gave so many hints, but you just couldn’t understand. I promised her to never tell anybody this until she confessed her feelings herselves,” Brock responded. “And I was also able to feel love at the age of ten!”

“Brock, are you sure you ever really loved a girl?” Ash asked. “You mostly see girls as hot, as eye candy to share the bed with! Have you ever felt real love? I feel real love for Misty!”

“I know you do, Ash,” Brock said. “And yes, I really love Lucy. She’s more special than all those other girls I met...”

“And when you are together with her, you’ll keep flirting with any random hot chick you meet,” Ash said.

“No!” Brock screamed.

“Why should I believe that? You told you and Nurse Joy broke up because you kept flirting with others...” Ash asked.

“Sorry if I went too far... Are we still friends?” Ash asked after the silence.

“Of course you’re still my best buddy... We’re both not the perfect boyfriend for the ladies, but they’ll have to accept us for who we are! No man is perfect,” Brock said.

“You’re right, even though I don’t think Lucy would appreciate it if you cheat on her,” Ash replied.

“You are totally right, I need to learn to control myself when I see an attractive girl,” Brock replied. “But until I go to Lucy, I’m still free to flirt with whatever girl I want!” he added to that. Ash laughed.

Meanwhile, at the lake, Misty reeled in a Seaking. Then she noticed it: it was the same one she already caught this afternoon, the one that fled! This time Misty and Dewgong had an advantage: it was already weakened by Dewgong’s Aurora Beam.

“Dewgong, defeat it with your Horn Drill!” Misty commanded. After hitting the fish with his horn, the Seaking was defeated.

Then, from out of nothing, a Lake Ball was thrown at Seaking. Then, Misty saw it was captured by a familiar-looking purple-haired woman wearing a pink ballet dress, accompanied by her Roselia, a red-haired man wearing a tuxedo and a cat-like creature with a black moustache, jeans and a black blouse. “Where do I know these guys from?” Misty thought.

“Hey, that’s unfair! I defeated this Seaking!” Misty shouted.

“Yeah, but I threw a Lake Ball first!” the purple-haired woman shouted.

Then, the fake moustache of the cat-like creature fell of. It was Meowth, from Team Rocket! The other two were Jessie and James. They were crossdressing and wore wigs to make them unrecognisable.

“Hey, it’s Team Rocket!” Misty said.

“Yeah, so what? We’re allowed to participate in this contest,” Jessie snapped.

“How did you get that Roselia, James?” Misty asked.

“I caught it in the forest yesterday, it was a wild one,” James replied. “I prefer stealing over catching, but I already love my fairly acquired Roselia.”

“Goodbye!” the three meanies shouted, quickly fleeing from Misty’s raging right fist, which was about to hit James.

Misty knew she had to concentrate on the contest, and that she had to catch a new Seaking. She would never be able to prove she defeated the Seaking James caught: everyone could make such claims. So, Misty hurled her rod in the water, and got lucky: a quite big Seaking was on the hook! Then, Dewgong defeated the Seaking in one hit with his Aurora Beam. Misty threw a Lake Ball, and got lucky: the Seaking was caught! And just in time: after catching Seaking, the contest was over. The participants were asked to come to the reception to weigh their Seaking.

Andreas’s Seaking was only 36 kilograms (the average Seaking is 39 kilograms). Misty was laughing out loud, and Dewgong looked at Andreas in a teasing way. Andreas was very angry: now Misty knew he overestimated the weight of his Seaking, and now Misty was likely to beat him. Then, Sakura was weighing her Seaking: 40 kilograms. James’s fish was a whopping 50 kilograms! How could anyone beat that?

Then, Marina saw her Seaking was only 46 kilograms. Misty was the last one who got to weigh her Seaking: 50 kilograms, a tie!

When there is a tie in the Catch-A-Seaking contest, the people who tied have to do a one-on-one battle on a water field to decide the winner. Misty and James walked to the big stage, where a battlefield was located. There was water, and a few platforms to stand on as well. James’s Roselia and Misty’s Dewgong were ready to battle.

“You’re going down, twerp!” James shouted. He wasn’t wearing a wig anymore, but still wore his pink dress. The audience was laughing because of silly James was looking.

“Dewgong, now use your Hyper Beam!” A strong beam out of Dewgong’s horn defeated Roselia in one hit!

Then, Misty and Dewgong hugged. Ash, Brock, Togetic and Pikachu were happy as well, and immediately came to the stage to congratulate Misty.

However, then Jessie ran up to the stage, and grabbed Misty’s trophy. “That thing will get me a lot of money on the black market!”

“No, it won’t!” Brock said. “Go, Chansey! Use Psychic!” After coming out of her Poke Ball, Chansey waggled her fingers and moved the trophy from Jessie’s hands to Misty with the Psychic attack. Then, Brock also sent out Steelix.

“Steelix, use your Iron Tail and make them blast off again!” Brock commanded. Steelix did what he had to do: he sent Team Rocket flying. Then, our heroes heard a loud “Team Rocket is blasting off again!”

“Misty, can I have some chocolate?” Ash asked.

“Only one bar, I’ll donate the rest to charity,” Misty replied.

“Why?” he asked.

“The poorest part of Cerulean City is the southeast of the city. There, many families can barely survive from their low incomes. The children there never get to eat something special, they can just eat enough to barely survive. Now it’s time for them to get something tasty,” she replied.

“Could I perhaps have two bars?” Ash was begging for chocolate, he was expecting more than one bar and was trying to see if he could get more.

“Okay, then, but two and no more than that!” Misty replied.

“Misty, it’s a very mature decision of yours to do this!” Brock said.

“It’ll be shipped to Cerulean City on our costs. This is very thoughtful of you, young lady!” the referee on the stage said.

Then, it was time to leave the lake, and walk onwards to Ecruteak City. The city wasn’t very far away anymore, it was only two days walking away.

When walking through a grassy area with a river next to it, they noticed a brown-haired girl wearing jeans and a pink top. Ash and Misty knew her: it’s Melody. She was riding her Milotic in the river, which was next to the road and led to Ecruteak City.

“Wow, she’s hot!” Brock shouted. “That Milotic is gorgeous!” Misty added to that. Melody heard that, and looked where the sound came from. Then, she noticed Ash and Misty, who were holding hands and standing next to each other. She stepped on the grass, while Milotic was still in the river.

“Hey, Misty, how are you and your boyfriend doing?” Melody asked in a teasing manner.

“Great, I just won the Catch-A-Seaking Contest,” Misty said.

“You have to admit that I was right six years ago. Ash is so your boyfriend!” Melody said.

“Not really. I did have feelings for him back then, and I still do, but I hadn’t confessed my feelings to him yet back then, and he was too dense to confess!” Misty replied..

“Melody, you are hot. So, will you kiss me?” Brock asked.

“No, I won’t,” Melody said. Brock started crying.

“Hey, that’s a cool Milotic!” Ash said. “How about a little battle?”

“Okay, what Pokemon will you choose?” Melody asked.

“Pikachu, he has a type advantage against your Milotic,” Ash replied.

“Milotic, let’s start off with a Twister!” Melody commanded. A tornado of water caught Pikachu and shaked him around. Pikachu was a bit dizzy, and also hurt, but far from defeated yet.

Some days after Ash lost to Melody, our heroes finally reached Ecruteak City. Of course, Ash was looking forward to his next Gym Battle. Because of that, our heroes immediately went to the Gym.

Ash was knocking on the door. “Hello, is somebody there?” he shouted.

One minute later, a blonde-haired man opened the door. “Hey, it’s cool to see you three again!” he said.

“Hi Morty!” Misty said.

“Will you battle me?” Ash immediately asked.

“Sure I will, come on in!” Morty replied. “Darling, we have a challenger here,” he said to a woman in the Gym.

“Hey, what’s Sabrina doing here?” Ash asked.

“She’s my girlfriend. We’re dating,” Morty answered.

“You two look like a cute couple,” Misty said.

“Thanks,” Sabrina said.

“Sabrina, do you think you and me would look cute a a couple?” Brock asked.

“No,” Sabrina said, making Brock cry.

“Hey, that’s my Haunter!” Ash shouted, referring to the Pokemon he owned for a very short time back in Kanto, when he was a rookie. Sabrina owns the Ghost now, and she took it with her on her date with Morty.

“Ash, Haunter tells me by telepathy that he wants to battle by your side, just this one time, to apologise for the way he abandoned you when you were battling me six years ago. So how about it?” the psychic Sabrina asked.

“Of course!” Ash replied.

“Haun Haun,” Haunter said happily, with a nice smile.

“Well, that’s settled then. Good luck!” Sabrina said.

Then, Morty and Ash walked to the battle field. Misty, Brock and Sabrina were watching on the stand. In order to cheer better, Misty decided to take Hoppip out of her Poke Ball. The Grass Pokemon decided to stand next to Togetic. Together, the cuties started cheerleading for Ash.

The referee entered the field. “This is an official Gym Battle between challenger Ash and Ecruteak Gym Leader Morty. This is a three versus three Pokemon battle without a time limit. Trainers, choose your Pokemon!”

“Haunter, you’re so eager to battle, so let’s do this!” Ash shouted. Unlike six years ago, Haunter actually listened to Ash and entered the battlefield.

“I choose you, Gengar!” Morty shouted. He hurled a Poke Ball from his belt, and the big purple ghost appeared.

“Gengar, use your Thunderpunch!” Morty shouted. Gengar hovered at Noctowl with a left fist glowing from electricity. However, Ash told Noctowl to evade just in time.

“Good, Noctowl. Now, it’s time for Psybeam!” Ash commanded. A colourful beam was shot at Gengar, who seemed to have trouble with it.

“Gengar, let’s finish this with Ice Punch,” Morty said gently. Gengar flew at Noctowl, and this time, he hit the owl.

“Noctowl, you can go on!” Ash shouted. “Now, use your Air Slash!” Cutting blades were shot at Gengar, who got seriously hurt.

“Noctowl, now, finish this with a Shadow Ball!” Ash commanded. A black blob was thrown at Gengar, who crashed down from the sky and got defeated! The referee acknowledged this, and Morty had to retreat his Gengar. Then, he grabbed a Poke Ball from his belt, and sent out his Dusknoir.

“Dusknoir, let’s do this! Use your Ice Beam!” A cold beam escaped the Ghost Pokemon’s mouth, but Noctowl was able to evade it.

“That’s a nasty Steel Wing, and a critical hit. But Dusknoir can still go on. Dusknoir, use your Confuse Ray!” The beam affected Noctowl, who was hopping around and unable to listen to its Trainer’s commands.

“Noctowl, try to use your Shadow Ball!” Ash tried. However, the attack was shot in the opposite direction of the enemy, and got hurled at Ash, who collapsed.

Misty was shocked, and ran at her boyfriend. “Ash, are you okay?” Ash didn’t move.

“Oh no, this is bad! Maybe we need to call a doctor!” Sabrina suggested. “But first, let’s wait and see if Ash gets any better.”

Five minutes later, Ash still didn’t move. Misty started crying, afraid that her boyfriend might’ve just died. Her tears landed on Ash’s face. Then, Misty softly kissed Ash on his cheek.

Then, a miracle happened: Ash opened his eyes! Misty was relieved: Ash was alive!

“Misty, where am I?” Ash asked.

“You’re at the Ecruteak Gym now. You were battling Morty, when Noctowl accidentally hit you with his Shadow Ball,” Misty answered.

“To me, it seems like it’s best to quit this battle. Let Ash recover and then we can battle again tomorrow,” Morty suggested.

“That’s a good idea, Morty,” Misty agreed.

However, Ash didn’t want that. “No, I wanna continue this battle!” he said angrily. “Misty, help me up!” Misty grabbed Ash’s arm, and helped him to stand up.

“Well, do you really want that, Ash?” Morty asked.

“Of course! And I don’t even feel the pain from the Shadow Ball anymore! Misty’s kiss saved me,” Ash replied.

“Well, if that’s true, we can continue,” Morty said. “But if you feel dizzy or feel pain, just tell me if you want to quit this battle.”

“No, I wanna battle!” Ash replied angrily.

“Noctowl, try another Shadow Ball!” he shouted. Noctowl was still confused, but this time Ash didn’t get hit: the attack ended up hitting the wall. Noctowl was still hopping around aimlessly.

“Dusknoir, let’s finish this with Ice Beam!” Morty shouted. Noctowl hopped away just in time to prevent getting hit, without knowing what he was doing.

“Noctowl, you can do it! I believe in you!” Ash shouted. Then, Noctowl came to his senses!

“Oh no!” Morty thought.

“Noctowl, now use your Shadow Ball, and this time you can hit that damn Dusknoir!” Noctowl shot a very powerful attack at the Ghost Pokemon, who was too slow to evade. Dusknoir collapsed!

“Dusknoir is defeated, Noctowl is the winner!” the referee stated. Noctowl thanked Dusknoir for his efforts and returned it to its Poke Ball.

“Ash, I only have one Pokemon left, but I’m not giving in! Misdreavus, I choose you!” the Gym Leader shouted.

“Noctowl, use your Psybeam!” Ash shouted. A colourful beam was shot at the Ghost Pokemon.

“Misdreavus, evade and then use Thunderbolt!” Morty shouted. After evading the attack, Misdreavus zapped Noctowl, who was too exhausted to evade, mainly because of the fight against Dusknoir. The referee declared Misdreavus the winner, so Ash had to retreat his trusty owl.

“Noctowl, you were awesome. Really, really awesome. Now, have some rest in your Poke Ball,” Ash said. “Bulbasaur, it all depends on you now!” he shouted.

“Bulba Bulbasaur,” his faithful Grass Pokemon added to that.

“Bulbasaur, let’s do this quickly. Use your Solarbeam!” Ash shouted. The Grass Pokemon started charging the strong attack.

“Misdreavus, Rain Dance!” Morty shouted. Raindrops started falling in the Gym, even though there were no holes in the roof of the Ecruteak Gym. The rain caused Bulbasaur to struggle charging his Solarbeam.

Then, when Ash decided to make Bulbasaur stop charging, Morty’s Misdreavus quickly used Thunder on her unsuspecting opponent! Normally, that wouldn’t do much damage, but now Bulbasaur was wet because of the rain, an small boom followed. When the smoke went away, Ash saw Bulbasaur was exhausted, but not defeated.

“Bulbasaur, use your Energy Ball!” Ash shouted. A green ball of energy was directed at the Shadow Ball, which made the attack culminate in an explosion.

When the smoke drifted away, Ash and Morty saw that Bulbasaur and Misdreavus were exhausted. Bulbasaur had trouble just standing, and Misdreavus had trouble hovering. Then, both Pokemon collapsed! The referee said “Bulbasaur and Misdreavus have been defeated, the ...”

Then, both Pokemon tried to stand up: the battle wasn’t over yet! Both Pokemon made desperate attempts to get up. Then, Bulbasaur stood up, and Misdreavus hovered upwards too.

However, then, Misdreavus collapsed. This time, she was really defeated. Bulbasaur was barely able to stand, but his willpower enabled him to do so.

The referee looked at both Pokemon. Then, he said “Misdreavus is defeated, Bulbasaur is the winner. Victory goes to the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!”

“Yay, I won!” Ash shouted. Morty walked up to his opponent. “Ash, you did a great job, especially Noctowl impressed me. You deserve this Fog Badge!”

“Yay, I got a Fog Badge!” Ash shouted. Pikachu ran up to Ash and started celebrating and taking the glory like he always did, even though he didn’t battle himself. “Pi Pikachu!”

“Well done, Ash!” Sabrina said. “You deserved to win.”

“That was awesome, Ash!” Misty said, to compliment Ash. “And I have a surprise for you: when we walked through the city, to the Gym, I saw an Alto Mare-style restaurant in which you can have Pokemon battles and eat unlimited for up to six hours for just 10 Poke Dollars per person! So this evening, we can have dinner there, and I’ll pay.”

“Now, shall we go to the lake just east outside of this city to have lunch and fish?” Misty asked.

“That’s a good idea, it’s very close to this Gym,” Ash replied.

“I don’t have time to eat with you two tonight, but I’ll come along to the lake before I’m leaving on the plane to Kanto,” Brock said.

After saying goodbye to Sabrina, Morty and Haunter, our heroes left the Gym, walked up east through a small street and ended up at a beautiful, clean, blue, big lake.

“Well, I took my rod, with my latest Misty lure, made one year ago. Are you two going to fish too?” Misty asked.

“No, we won’t,” Ash and Brock said.

“Okay. Well, have fun eating!” Misty said. Brock and Ash both took a sandwich and ate a big bite out of it. Misty did the same thing too, she wasn’t catching anything...

“Ash, do you remember when we talked about love during the Catch-A-Seaking Contest?” Brock asked.

“Of course, why do you ask?” Ash replied.

“Ash, did you ever kiss a woman?” Brock responded.

“I’ve kissed Misty several times. She says I’m a great kisser, even though I don’t see what’s so special about my kisses.” Ash replied.

“She must love you a lot,” Brock said. “That alone is enough to make your kisses so great for her.”

“I love her a lot too. I wish I would’ve realized it some years earlier...” Ash moaned. A few seconds later, he asked Brock whether he kissed many women or not.

“Yes, Ash, I’ve kissed different women. And I even went further a few times. But my most memorable kiss was the one I had with Lucy,” Brock answered. “Have you ever kissed others than Misty?”

“Of course not!” Ash snapped.

“Why not?” Brock asked.

“Well, before I realized my feelings for Misty, I didn’t care about kissing. And after realizing these, I didn’t want to kiss others. However, I did get kisses from Melody and Bianca on my cheek,” Ash replied.

“Why didn’t you like those?” Brock asked.

“Well, I don’t have feelings for them. The only one who should kiss me is Misty,” Ash replied.

“Ash, if Melody would kiss me, I’d kiss her back and ask her on a date! However, Ash, you’re as dense as hell, but sometimes I wish I would be as faithful as you,” Brock said.

Then, a pink Pokemon appeared: it was Jigglypuff! The pink puffball started singing its song. Ash, Misty and Brock fell asleep. However, Togetic didn’t, because Pikachu was protecting Togetic’s ears, so she didn’t hear the song. Pikachu fell asleep himselves, but Togetic stayed awake. Then, she used her Hyper Beam to send Jigglypuff flying: this time, Jigglypuff wasn’t able to draw on our heroes’s faces, because the singer was blasting off again!

Two hours later, Togetic was finally able to wake Misty up, who hurled her rod at the water again. This time, something was on the hook! With a lot of trouble, she reeled in the rod: a Tentacruel! The jellyfish was angry about being fished up, Togetic was barely able to evade a hit from Tentacruel’s tentacles.

“Togetic, use your Shockwave!” Misty commanded. The electric attack immediately took care of Tentacruel, who was in the water, causing it to get an extra hard shock: water conducts electricity.

“Lure Ball, go!” Misty shouted, hurling the special Apricorn Poke Ball at the jellyfish. It stayed inside: Misty finally caught the Pokemon she always wanted! “Yes, I have... a Tentacruel!” Misty shouted. Her and her Togetic’s loud cheering woke Ash and Brock up.

“Hey, sleepyheads, I caught a Tentacruel!” Misty said happily. Ash was very happy for her, while Brock congratulated her. Then, the Lure Ball was transported to Professor Oak’s laboratory.

“Misty, Ash, I have to go now, I want to catch my plane without hurrying!” Brock said. “Bye, awesome friends!”

“Bye, Brock!” Ash and Misty shouted.

A few minutes later, Ash and Misty started talking about kissing. “Misty, Brock and I talked about kissing while you were fishing. I never kissed anyone else but you. And how is that with you?” Ash asked.

“I also never kissed anyone else but you, and I’d like to keep it that way. I love you and haven’t been attracted to other guys in the six years I missed you,” Misty replied. “I’m romantic, you’re dense, but we’re still discovering love together!”

“Yeah. And so far, I love it,” Ash replied.

“Me too,” Misty agreed. Then, she looked at the Ecruteak Church, which was visible from the lake. “We should go to the restaurant for your dinner!”

Then, Ash’s stomach growled. “I think my stomach likes your idea!”

“Ash, don’t you have anything more fancy to wear than your current outfit? That would be nice for this restaurant,” Misty asked.

“Yeah, my mom told me this shirt would be fitting, so I took it with me,” Ash replied, showing the fancy black shirt his mother gave him. “Shall I wear that?”

“Yes, that’s good,” Misty replied. Because no one was at the lake except for Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Togetic, Misty was able to put on her more fancy clothes: black high-heeled shoes, a long, black, elegant skirt, a red, strapless belly top and a black coat. “Ash, do I look good?” she asked.

“Of course! And how about me?” Ash asked.

“You too,” Misty responded. Then, they walked to the restaurant. After walking through what looked like a mini-forest and passing the Ecruteak City Gym, Ash and Misty reached the restaurant. However, before entering the building, they used a video phone that was next to the restaurant.

“Hello, Ash and Misty!” Professor Oak said.

“Hello!” Ash said. “I won a Fog Badge today!”

“That’s great,” Oak replied. “I have to ask you something, by the way.”

“What is it?” Ash asked.

“Well, the Pokemon here started fighting again. So I’d need Bulbasaur again. However, I think he should teach one of your other Pokemon to be the peace keeper. Your Leavanny really wants to take over, but Bulbasaur would need to teach him some things. Could you please send your Bulbasaur to me? When you arrive in Olivine City, you can get him back, then I think he must’ve taught Leavanny how to do the job,” asked.

“Well, okay then,” Ash said. “But Bulbasaur participated in an extremely harsh fight against Morty, so he’ll need to rest before he can work,” Ash warned the Professor.

“That’s okay. Do you want to swap some more Pokemon?” Oak asked.

“Well, I haven’t used Kingler, Muk and Tauros in quite some time. So how about those?” Ash suggested. “Then I’ll send you Bulbasaur, Noctowl and Totodile.”

“Okay, put the Poke Balls on the transporter one by one, and we’ll swap them,” Oak replied.

After the switch, Oak asked Misty whether she wanted to swap some Pokemon too. “You didn’t do any switches aside from getting your Hoppip, so do you want to use some other Pokemon?”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll start rotating until the Whirl Cup, so I can see all of my Pokemon again before the Whirl Cup. Then please send me Goldeen, Staryu, Starmie, Politoed and my newly caught Tentacruel,” Misty answered. “I’ll send you Corsola, Marill, Dewgong, Psyduck and Hoppip.”

“Okay. Could you please send me Togetic too? I’d like to do some research, and Togetic is a rare Pokemon,” Oak asked.

“No!” Misty shouted. Togetic looked angrily at the man she saw on the video phone screen. “And it seems like Togetic also doesn’t want that!”

“Okay, okay, sorry! Then let’s do the other switches,” Oak replied. Then, Misty also swapped Pokemon. Then, Ash and Misty said bye to Professor Oak and ended the phone call.

“It’s an all-you-can-eat restaurant! I’ll take whatever I like and eat a crapload of food!” Ash responded. Then, Ash and Misty went in the beautiful, white building.

When they entered, Ash saw how the restaurant worked: there were many kinds of warm food, and he could take whatever he wanted for the upcoming six hours! Whenever he wanted for saw there were many kinds of food, and he could eat whatever he wanted! He picked a hamburger, three sandwiches, a plate full of French fries, a plate of spaghetti, three pizzas and some fishsticks, and decided to drink beer. Misty decided to eat a pizza and drink a can of coke. Then, Ash started eating. His eating style was quite inappropriate: he ate everything with his hands and ate with his mouth open. Misty was ashamed of it, but because she was used to it, she decided to not complain about it this time.

“And, do you like it here, Ash?” Misty asked.

“It’s an awesome restaurant!” Ash replied, with a bite of pizza in his mouth.

Four hours later, Ash finally stopped eating: he was filled with junkfood and also was a little tipsy. Then, he had to go to the bathroom “Misty, I gotta take a pee. I’ll be right back!”

“Okay, Ash,” Misty said.

Then, a brown-haired guy walked up to Ash’s and Misty’s table. “It’s so awesome to see you again, you still look attractive!”

After Ash’s battle against Morty, the Ecruteak City Gym Leader, Misty took him to a restaurant to celebrate the victory. When Ash went to the bathroom there, a man walked to Misty’s table and told her how attractive she is.

“Hello, Rudy, and thank you!” Misty replied. It was Rudy, the Trovita Island Gym Leader. Six years ago, he had a crush on Misty. Unfortunately for him, she rejected him and decided to stay with Ash.

“Misty, are you still with Ash?” he asked.

“Yes, I am,” Misty replied.

“Where is he now?” Rudy asked.

“He’s in the bathroom,” Misty answered.

“Why don’t you leave him and travel with me?” Rudy asked. “I left the Gym to my little sister, Mahri. She’s old enough now. And I want to travel.”

“Because I love Ash!” Misty replied.

“But aren’t you even a little bit attracted to me?” he asked.

“No, and I never was! Your compliments six years ago flattered me, but I wasn’t attracted to you at all. I saw you as someone who could be a good friend for me, but I wasn’t romantically or sexually attracted to you at all,” Misty answered.

“Don’t you even see me as a little hot?” Rudy asked.

“No. Not six years ago and still not,” Misty replied.

“Could you kiss me? Ash is in the bathroom now, so he won’t notice. I won’t get a relationship, but please at least kiss me...” Rudy asked.

“No, I never kissed others than Ash and I’d like to keep it that way,” Misty answered. “I don’t kiss outside of relationships.”

“But now I’ll be alone forever!” Rudy moaned.

“No, there are other girls out there,” Misty replied. “Hey, I know! Let’s set you up with someone in this restaurant! Maybe falling in love with someone else will help you getting over your crush on me. Let’s go to the Battle Lounge of this restaurant,” Misty suggested. “But we’ll wait for Ash first.”

Then, Ash came back. “Misty, what’s he doing here?” he asked, afraid that the brown-haired guy was trying to steal his girlfriend away.

“Rudy tried to get a kiss from me, but he’s not getting one,” Misty said. “Now, I’ll try showing him there are other girls out there than me, so I’ll try setting him up with someone in the Battle Lounge.”

“That’s a great idea!” Ash replied. “And I’m looking forward to have a nice battle too.”

After going to the basement of the restaurant, where the battle lounge was, Misty noticed that Marina, her rival, was there. “Rudy, what do you think of the blue-haired girl standing right over there? She’s single, and I think you two would make a great couple.”

“She looks gorgeous!” Rudy replied. “Is she a nice person as well?”

“Yes, she is,” Misty replied.

“Then, what are we waiting for?” Rudy said. He ran at Marina, introduced himself and told Marina how beautiful she looked.

“Rudy, you don’t look bad either. I’m Marina. It’s nice to meet you,” Marina replied to Rudy. Then, the two started talking about lots of things.

“Ash, I think it’s love at first sight between those two!” Misty said happily.

“Ash, please... I have a nice idea for a battle. Give me five minutes and I’ll arrange a nice tag battle for the two of us,” Misty replied.

“Okay then...” Ash replied.

Five minutes later, Rudy walked to Misty. “Misty, thank you so much! It’s love at first sight. Marina and I are both traveling, so we’ll travel together now.”

“You’re welcome,” Misty said. “Rudy, how about a tag battle between you and Marina against Ash and me?”

“That’s a great idea!” Rudy answered.

“But don’t complain if we beat you!” Marina added to that.

“There’s no need for that, ‘cause you two are going down,” Ash said.

“Could we please go to the Water field? I want to use a Water Pokemon, and I suppose Misty will do that as well?” Marina suggested.

“Of course,” Ash said.

“Sure, why not?” Rudy added to that.

“I indeed want to use a Water Pokemon, so it’s a great idea!” Misty said. Then, the two couples walked to the battlefield.

Then, the trainers chose their Pokemon. Marina decided to go with Octillery, Rudy chose his Exeggutor, Ash sent out his Growlithe and Misty chose to give her newly caught Tentacruel a first battle.

“Exeggutor, let’s start with your Egg Bomb on Growlithe!” Rudy shouted. Both Growlithe and Exeggutor were stuck on a platform, where they were unable to evade each other’s attacks: both Pokemon were unable to swim. Growlithe got hurt, but wasn’t defeated.

“Octillery, use your Sludge Bomb on Growlithe!” Marina commanded. Because Growlithe was unable to evade and also didn’t know where Octillery was, he was about to get hit. However, Misty commanded her Tentacruel to take the attack.

“Thanks, Misty!” Ash said.

“You’re welcome, Ash!” she replied.

“Growlithe, now use your Overheat on Exeggutor!” Ash commanded. Because Exeggutor was unable to avoid getting hit, the Grass Pokemon got defeated by Growlithe’s strong attack.

“No, Exeggutor!” Rudy screamed. He called back his Pokemon.

“Octillery, use your Seed Bomb on Tentacruel!” Marina commanded.

“Growlithe, use your Flamethrower on the Seed Bomb to protect Tentacruel!” Ash shouted. Growlithe did what he had to do: he turned the seeds into ash.

“Tentacruel, let’s end this with a Poison Sting!” Misty commanded. Tentacruel shot poisonous needles at the octopus Pokemon, who was defeated.

Then, Ash, Misty, Rudy and Marina called their Pokemon back. “Ash, Misty, you two work well together. Marina and I didn’t, that’s why you two won,” Rudy said.

“Well, Ash and I have done many tag battles in the past, and also a few on this journey. You and Marina only know each other for about an hour. Just practice often and you two can become a tag battling couple too!” Misty said.

“Okay, we will!” Marina answered.

“Ash and I are going now, it’s eleven o’clock in the evening, and we need to sleep,” Misty said.

“Bye, Rudy and Marina!” Ash added to that.

“Well, Rudy and I are gonna battle, eat and dance the night away here!” Marina replied with a big smile on her face. “Misty, thank you so much for setting me up with Rudy!”

“You’re welcome!” Misty replied.

Then, Ash and Misty walked to the Pokemon Center, which wasn’t very far away from the restaurant. Misty carried Togetic in her arms, while Pikachu was sitting on Ash’s left shoulder. “Ash, did you enjoy this evening?” Misty asked.

“Yes, it was awesome! The food was great, the beer was great and the battle against Rudy and Marina was great!” Ash answered.

“That’s good to hear. I had a nice time too,” Misty replied. “It was nice to get Rudy and Marina together, and the food was nice too. And it was nice to use Tentacruel for the first time.”

“Yeah, and we worked well together,” Ash added to that.

“We certainly had a good time,” Misty concluded.

“Is there any reason it has to end now?” Ash asked, with a smile on his face.

“Yes, there is. I’m tired,” Misty answered. Ash looked disappointed.

Then, Ash and Misty reached the Pokemon Center. They brushed their teeth, took off their clothes, put on their pyjamas and went to their two-person bed, after saying good night to Pikachu and Togetic.

The next morning, Ash and Misty brushed their teeth, put on their clothes and had breakfast. Then, they were on the road again, heading for Olivine City. It was a grassy road with a few trees here and there.

“Misty, I have a good idea: how about a little battle? It’s been a long time since we battled!” Ash proposed.

“That’s a good idea, Ashyboy,” Misty replied. “Let’s do it right here, right now, and both use one Pokemon.”

“Okay!” Ash replied. “Shall we make it a Water battle by battling in the lake there? Then you can practice for the Whirl Cup.”

“That’s a nice idea, sweet!” Misty answered. “Go, Goldeen!” she shouted. A white and red fish came out of the Poke Ball.

“Kingler, let’s start with a Crabhammer!” Ash commanded. Kingler raised one of his claws, and hit Goldeen very harshly.

“Goldeen, use your Horn Attack!” Misty shouted. Goldeen swam at Kingler, hitting him with her horn. However, it didn’t seem to do any damage to Kingler.

“Kingler, let’s finish this with another Crabhammer!” Ash commanded. Kingler hit the goldfish before she was able to evade the attack.

“Oh no, Goldeen!” Misty screamed, because her Pokemon seemed to be defeated.

Then, Goldeen was shoudred in a bright, white light. She grew, and when the light went away, Misty saw that her Goldeen evolved into a strong Seaking.

“That’s awesome, Goldeen, you’ve evolved!” Misty said happily.

“Seaking,” the fish replied.

“Oh, sorry, I mean Seaking,” Misty said to her Pokemon. “Now, let’s win this battle. Use your Megahorn!” Seaking swam at Kingler at high speed, charged into the crab and hit it harshly with its horn. Kingler looked severely damaged.

“Kingler, use your Bubble!” Ash commanded. However, the bubbles didn’t seem to affect the goldfish.

“Seaking, let’s end this with a Double-Edge!” Misty shouted. Seaking hurled itself at Kingler, who was defeated. Seaking was swimming around Kingler to celebrate her victory.

“That was awesome, Seaking!” Misty congratulated her Pokemon. Then, Togetic flew at Seaking. The two Pokemon started talking.

“Misty, that was awesome!” Ash said. “Congratulations with your Seaking!”

“Thank you, Ash,” Misty answered. Then, when Seaking and Togetic finished their conversation, Misty called Seaking back in her Poke Ball. Ash did the same with Kingler.

“It was nice to battle you again, even though I’ve lost,” Ash said to his girlfriend, when they walked onwards.

“I also enjoyed it. And don’t feel bad about losing. If Seaking wouldn’t have evolved, you would’ve won for sure,” Misty replied.

“Are you going to use Seaking in the Whirl Cup?” Ash asked his girlfriend.

“I think so. Seaking is much stronger than before,” Misty replied.

“Yeah, she indeed is,” he answered.

“Ash, no one is looking at us on this deserted road, and I feel like I could use a nice kiss, so shall we?” she asked.

“Sure,” he replied. Ash and Misty moved their heads toward each other, and kissed.

“Hey, Misty, you and Ash kissing is so cute!” Misty heard a voice from a few metres away. It was Sakura, who saw the kiss.

“Thank you, Sakura!” Misty said.

“Misty, shall we have a battle? I’ve caught some sweet new Pokemon since the last time we battled!” Sakura asked. “One against one, here,” she proposed.

“Okay, we will,” Misty answered. She took a Poke Ball from her bag, and sent out a star-shaped Pokemon. “Go, Starmie!” Misty shouted.

“Go, Manectric!” Sakura shouted, while sending out her blue and yellow Electric Pokemon.

“Oh no, I didn’t expect her to have a Manectric!” Misty thought. “And Starmie hasn’t battled in more than half a year...” She looked worried.

“Manectric, let’s start with a Thunderbolt!” Sakura commanded. A strong beam of lightning was shot at Starmie.

“Starmie, Light Screen!” Misty commanded. A wall appeared right before Starmie, protecting the star-shaped Pokemon from the electric attack. “And now use Water Gun!” she said. Manectric jumped away quickly.

“Now, Manectric, hit her with your Thunder!” Sakura shouted. This time, Starmie got hit, and was immediately defeated.

“I haven’t used her for quite some time, she was with Professor Oak for half a year, and also never really was my main battling Pokemon,” Misty explained.

“Okay, I understand,” Sakura replied.

“How many badges do you have now?” Misty asked.

“I have four badges,” Sakura answered.

“Ash has four badges as well now,” Misty replied.

“Sorry, but I have to go now. In the Ecruteak movie theatre, there’s a play in which my favourite actor plays the lead role, and I have a ticket,” Sakura said. “I don’t want to miss it. Bye, Misty and Ash!”

“Bye, Sakura, and have fun watching the movie,” Misty replied.

Then, Ash and Misty walked onwards, carrying their signature Pokemon. However, when they just started walking again, they heard a limousine stopping.

“Hey, Ashyboy, I just saw you, and I feel like a battle again,” Gary said.

“I’m up to it, but you’re gonna lose!” Ash shouted.

“Okay, dream on if you want,” Gary replied. “Go, Doduo!”

“Tauros, I choose you!” Ash shouted.

“Doduo, use your Fury Attack!” Gary commanded.

“Tauros, use your Take Down!” Ash shouted. Tauros and Doduo bumped into each other, and both hit each other with their strong attacks.

“Losing a battle is never nice, but losing is part of life, and everyone should deal with it the right way,” Misty replied.

“You’re right,” Ash answered.

Later that day, late in the evening, Ash and Misty were in trouble. “Ash, I’m out of bread, and I’m out of money. Do you have some money left?” Misty asked.

“No, I’m broke,” Ash replied.

“Well, we’ll have to find an one-time chore we can earn a lot of money with in a short amount of time,” Misty responded.

“Yeah, but how?” Ash asked.

“Hey, look over there!” Misty said. She saw the signboard of a pub. “Help needed. The owner of this pub is away for one afternoon on 1 November, and there are no employees. If you’re interested in filling in for one afternoon, come in. You’ll be paid nicely.”

“That’s perfect, just one afternoon!” Ash shouted. “And tomorrow is 1 November, so we could do this and get ourselves out of money issues, at least until the Whirl Cup starts.”

“And when I win the Whirl Cup, we’ll be out of money issues for a very long time!” Misty replied.

Then, they walked into the pub and went to a chubby man behind the counter. “Hello, sir,” Misty said. “Is this where we can get the job tomorrow?”

“Yes, it is,” the man replied. “I’m rich, so I’ll give you two a lot of money if one of you two stands behind the counter, and the other one of you can be a maid. I normally do that work together with my wife, and she and I will be visiting my parents tomorrow in the afternoon.”

“Well, how much money can we make?” Ash asked.

“How about 10.000 Poke Dollars for both of you?” the pub owner asked.

“Wow!” Ash and Misty shouted.

“We’ve got a deal,” the pub owner replied.

“Ash, I hope you can still fit in your maid outfit you once told me about!” Misty said to Ash, while winking with her right eye. Ash laughed. Then, he asked Pikachu to help him and Misty out tomorrow, Pikachu decided to do that.

“Togetic, do you also want to help tomorrow?” Misty asked her signature Pokemon. While nodding yes, the Pokemon replied ”Togetic!”

The next day, Ash and Misty were working in the pub in the afternoon. While he didn’t want to, Ash was wearing a maid suit: Misty wasn’t willing to be the maid, and he knew he shouldn’t anger her. While Ash was serving drinks to customers, Misty was standing behind the counter to take orders.

Late in the evening, a muscular boy with brown hair stood in front of the counter. “Good afternoon, sir. Could I take your order?” Misty asked.

“A kiss from you, and maybe go somewhat further after that,” the bodybuilder answered.

“Sorry, but I only kiss when I’m in a relationship, and I have a boyfriend,” Misty replied.

“Where is he?” the muscular boy asked.

“I’m over here,” Ash said, while serving beer to a regular customer.

“Hottie, that’s not a boyfriend. He looks more like a girlfriend to me,” the muscular guy said to Misty.

“Stop your flirting right now!” Ash shouted. His face was all red.

“And, will you ditch that guy and get together with me and my sixpack?” the bodybuilder asked.

“No! Of course not!” Misty snapped. “Are you going to place a serious order now? If not, then leave this place!”

“Well, I’ll request a Pokemon battle with you. Then I’ll show you that my Pokemon are just as strong as me, maybe my battling skills will turn you on,” the bodybuilder suggested.

“Fine, I’ll battle. But don’t expect me to get with you!” Misty answered. “How about a double battle?” she asked.

“Okay,” the failing flirter said. “Machop and Hitmontop, I choose you two!”

“Staryu and Politoed, I choose you two!” Misty said. “Ash, can you take over my work while I’m battling?” she asked her boyfriend.

“Politoed and Staryu, use your Double Hydro Pump on Machop!” Misty commanded. Two strong rays of water came at Machop, who was instantly defeated by the majorly strong attacks.

“No, Machop!” the man screamed, while returning the defeated Pokemon to his Poke Ball. “Hitmontop, use your Rapid Spin on Politoed now!” he shouted. The handstand Pokemon started rotating very fast and went to Politoed, who got hit.

“Politoed, no!” Misty shouted. Politoed stood up. “Now, Staryu, use your Water Gun to slow him down!” Misty commanded. The star-shaped Pokemon did what its Trainer told it to do, causing Hitmontop to move less fast than before the attack.

“Hitmontop, now try to hit Staryu!” the bodybuilder shouted. Hitmontop hurled itself at Staryu, who hovered upwards and evaded the blow.

“Politoed, now he’s slow, hit him with your Doubleslap!” Misty commanded. The frog Pokemon kept hitting the Fighting Pokemon until he was defeated.

“Yes, we won!” Misty said happily. Togetic, Pikachu, Ash and Politoed cheered. Then, the strange flirter ran out of the pub at high speed after calling his Hitmontop back into his Poke Ball. Misty also called her Pokemon back.

“That was awesome, Misty!” Ash complimented.

“Thanks,” Misty said, giving Ash a high-five.

“Misty, can you help me behind the counter? It’s too much work to be a maid and a barkeeper at the same time...”

“No, the afternoon is over, the pub will be closed now. So you can take off your maid suit!” Misty said.

“Finally! I just don’t feel very comfortable wearing that dress,” Ash replied.

Then, the pub owner entered the building. “And, how did it go?” he asked.

“Well, until half past five, it went well, but then, some bodybuilder came in who tried to steal me away from Ash,” Misty responded.

“Oh, did he have brown hair and did he wear a white, sleeveless shirt?” the pub owner asked. Misty confirmed that he did.

“Then that’s probably Bad Bill, he comes here often to see if there are girls for him to flirt with. He thinks he can impress girls with being muscular, but so far, no girl has been interested in him,” he said to Misty.

“I can see why,” Misty answered. “He’s mean and smells bad.”

“And what did you do when he arrived?” the owner asked.

“He challenged me to a battle, I defeated him, and he ran out of this pub crying,” Misty said with a smile.

“You did a great job, I’m quite a good Pokemon trainer myself and I’ve never defeated him. And, what are you two going to do with the money I’m giving you?”

“We’re going to the Whirl Islands, and we were out of money, so we took this job so we can buy food, and maybe a cheap ticket for a boat ride from Olivine City to the Whirl Islands if we’re lucky enough to have some money left,” Ash answered.

“Well, you two are lucky. I bought two cruise tickets for a fancy cruise with my wife to the Whirl Islands with my wife, as a surprise for her birthday, but she doesn’t want to go. You two can have them!” the pub owner offered.

“Really?” Ash asked.

“Yes, you two can have them,” the owner answered.

“Thank you so much, sir!” Misty said. “Is there anything we can do in return for you?”

“No, you two did a great job and you even scared Bad Bill away,” the owner replied. “You two can also have dinner with me and spend the night at my house, which is just two minutes walking from here.”

“Thank you so much!” Ash replied.

The next day, Ash and Misty were on the road again. Then, Ash saw a familiar face: it was his old rival from Sinnoh, Paul!

“Ash, you look surprised. Who is that guy?” Misty asked.

Then, Paul interfered. “Paul is the name, Ash and I were rivals in Sinnoh six years ago.”

“I’m Misty, Ash’s girlfriend,” Misty said.

“Ash has a girlfriend?” Paul thought. “I never had one... Will I ever find love?”

“What are you doing here?” Ash asked his old rival.

“I’m training for the Johto League,” Paul replied.

“Maybe you two should battle!” Misty suggested.

“That’s a great idea, Misty,” Ash said. “Paul, are you up for a little battle, three vs. three?”

“Okay, if you want to be defeated that badly, be my guest,” Paul replied. “Go, Electivire!”

“Electivire, let’s start off with a Thunderbolt!” Paul shouted. The slow crab Pokemon got hit by a very strong attack right from the start!

“Kingler, no! Can you go on?” Ash asked. Kingler stood up, but was in a world of hurt.

“Electivire, this is easy! Let’s finish this one with another Thunderbolt!” Paul commanded.

“Kingler, try to evade and then use Water Pulse!” Ash commanded. Kingler barely avoided the attack, and then, the water of the Water Pulse touched Electivire’s body. The Electric Pokemon was under electricity from using Thunderbolt twice. Water conducts electricity, so the Water Pulse caused Electivire a lot of pain. The Electric Pokemon collapsed, Kingler was the winner!

“Well done, Ash and Kingler!” Misty shouted.

“That was awesome, Kingler!” Ash shouted.

“Electivire, come back,” Paul said. “Go, Froslass!”

“Kingler, you can do it! I believe in you!” Ash shouted to his exhausted Pokemon.

“Kingler, you did an awesome job. Come back and have some rest,” Ash said gently. “Pikachu, go!” The electric mouse came forward. Togetic wished him luck with a kiss on the cheek.

“Froslass, use your Ice Beam!” Paul commanded. A cold beam was shot at Pikachu, who ended up in a big block of ice.

“Pikachu, no!” Ash shouted.

“Face it, Ash! Pikachu lost!”

“Oh, what can I do...” Ash thought. Then, he showed Paul a big grin. “I got it!” he said. “Pikachu, use your Iron Tail to break the ice!” Pikachu moved its tail up and down in the ice, slowly breaking all of it.

“What?” Paul shouted.

“Pikachu, that was great!” Ash complimented his first Pokemon.

“Froslass, we can’t beat him with Ice attacks, but a Shadow Ball can take care of this,” Paul said. A black blob was shot at Pikachu, who got hit. However, he immediately stood up.

“Pikachu, hit her with a Volt Tackle!” Ash commanded. Pikachu jumped at Frosslas and gave her a shocking tackle. The Ice Pokemon was dizzy.

“Now, finish it with an Iron Tail!” Ash shouted. Pikachu jumped in the air and gave his opponent the final blow. Togetic ran at Pikachu to kiss him. Pikachu happily accepted that kiss.

“Ash is better than I thought. He has a sweet girlfriend, treats his Pokemon well and one of his Pokemon is even a couple with one of his girlfriend. And what do I have? I never had a girlfriend and I treat my Pokemon like crap...” Paul thought.

“Pikachu, use your Volt Tackle again!” Ash commanded. The Electric Pokemon gave Drapion a harsh hit, but collapsed himself. Togetic looked shocked. Using Volt Tackle against Froslass and getting out of the ice before that was too much for Pikachu. Ash took Pikachu in his arms and put him next to Togetic. “Pikachu, that was awesome,” he said.

“Bayleef, win this battle for yourself, for me and for Pikachu and Togetic!” Ash shouted, while sending Bayleef out of her Poke Ball.

“Bay Bay!” the Grass Pokemon answered.

“Drapion, we can win this. Use your X-Scissor!” Paul commanded.

“Bayleef, jump and use your Body Slam!” Ash said to his pal. The Grass Pokemon jumped with her Vine Whip, followed by hurling herself at Drapion, who was in a lot of pain.

Thirty seconds later, Ash commanded Bayleef to smack Drapion up and down with Vine Whip, and then hurl it into the air. Bayleef did that: Drapion got some harsh blows, and when it was hurled into the air, it puked out some nasty sludge, but Bayleef wasn’t hit.

“Now, Bayleef, finish it with Razor Leaf!” Ash shouted. Drapion was hit and was done for!

“Bayleef, that was awesome!” Ash shouted. Then, Bayleef gave Ash a hug before getting called back into her Poke Ball.

“Drapion, come back. You were great,” Paul said to his defeated Pokemon.

Then, he walked up to Ash and said “Next time I’ll beat you. Don’t be too proud of your fluke win.” Then, he walked away.

“What a strange guy...” Misty said to Ash.

“I agree, and he treats his Pokemon like crap,” Ash replied while he and Misty walked onwards. They almost reached Olivine City.

“He didn’t even tell his Pokemon they did well, except for Drapion at the end,” she said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, when he recalled Drapion, he was friendlier than when he recalled his other Pokemon. Maybe it’s because Togetic kissed Pikachu. After that, he became more humble and friendly until he got defeated. It’s like he had a change of heart,” she explained.

“No, that can’t be. Paul can’t change,” he responded.

Then, Ash and Misty reached Olivine City. They went to the Pokemon Center, and called Professor Oak to swap some Pokemon. After greeting each other, Misty sent Oak her Seaking, Starmie, Staryu and Politoed to Professor Oak and got her Gyarados, Luvdisc, Hoppip and Horsea.

Ash also swapped some Pokemon: he sent Kingler, Muk and Tauros to Professor Oak, and took Bulbasaur and Donphan with him. He didn’t know who else to take with him, so he decided to leave one team spot open.

“Ash, your Bulbasaur taught Leavanny how to be a perfect peace keeper. Bulbasaur is sent to you now, and the Pokemon aren’t fighting! And that while Bulbasaur was with me in the lab all day long,” Professor Oak said to Ash.

“That’s great!” Ash replied.

“Now you can always take either Bulbasaur or Leavanny with you,” Oak responded.

“Thanks for the Pokemon replacing,” Misty said.

“Bye!” Oak said. “And Ash, good luck with your Gym Battle against Jasmine! Tell her I said hi!”

“I will,” Ash answered. “Bye!”

“Ash, what Pokemon are you gonna use against Jasmine?” Misty asked, referring to the battle against the Gym Leader of Olivine City.

“Pikachu and Donphan, but I don’t know who to put in the third spot...” Ash said.

“Well, you still have one night to think about it,” Misty replied. “You’ll come up with the right choice.”

However, the next morning, Ash still didn’t make a decision. And he and Misty agreed to go to the Gym in one hour! Then, they took a walk on the beach. Because the weather was very cold, Misty wore her long, red winter jacket and a scarf with a checkerboard pattern. Ash wore his green winter jacket and a white snow hat. And they needed it: it started snowing!

“Wow, the weather forecast didn’t predict this yesterday!” Ash said.

“Ash, now do you see why we both needed to go clothe shopping back in Goldenrod City?” Misty asked.

“Yes...” Ash replied, knowing Misty wouldn’t accept a “no.” He clearly remembered the horror: he had to wait in a clothes store where Misty was trying on clothes for quite a long time.

“Good that you understand,” Misty responded.

“Misty, you gotta admit that my maid dress fits me way better than my current clothes,” Ash replied with a big smile. “I should’ve put it on, I could seduce whatever girl I want to seduce when wearing that thing, and then reject them and tell them they’ll never be as awesome as you.”

“It’s not the most kind thing to do, but it’s kinda funny,” she answered. Then, she and Ash bursted out in laughing. “Do you know what your third choice against Jasmine will be?” she asked.

“No... I’ll probably end up choosing Bulbasaur, Bayleef or Growlithe, depending on the situation. But I’d rather know who to choose at this moment, so I could think about possible tactics,” he replied.

“I understand,” she replied. “What Pokemon will you use first?”

“Donphan, I suppose,” he answered. “But it depends on what Jasmine chooses, if she chooses her Pokemon first.”

“Donphan is a smart choice, but remember that he hasn’t battled for a very long time. Don’t expect too much from him,” she said.

“You’re right,” he replied.

Then, they saw a big group of big, blue Pokemon arriving at the beach from a distance.

“Pika Pika!” Pikachu shouted, while waving to one of the Pokemon.

“Toge Togetic!” Togetic added to that. She happily flew up and down, it was just like she and Pikachu just saw an old friend again after not seeing that person for years.

“What’s up, Pikachu?” Ash asked, while the Pokemon came closer and closer to the shore.

Then, Misty knew what kind of Pokemon were swimming to the shore of Olivine.

Okay, I swear I made a review on this chapter earlier, but it seems it hasn't showed up yet. Anyway I'll type it again. Just wanted to day that I really enjoyed this chapter and found it amusing. It seemed that Misty was getting a lot of unwanted male attention and Ash was acting manly to impress her. Sounds like an interesting and hard day at work for them. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Okay, I swear I made a review on this chapter earlier, but it seems it hasn't showed up yet. Anyway I'll type it again. Just wanted to day that I really enjoyed this chapter and found it amusing. It seemed that Misty was getting a lot of unwanted male attention and Ash was acting manly to impress her. Sounds like an interesting and hard day at work for them. Looking forward to the next chapter.

That's okay, mistakes can happen. And if you'll type it up again later so I can see it, it's fine.

In fact, I had such an issue with a post not coming up some months ago and only just noticed it, but more about that later on in this post.

Well, a lot of unwanted male attention? Only one guy... But certainly a very persistent one!

How can Ash act manly if he's wearing such a cute maid dress? XD

Did you also like the other things, like Ash vs. Paul and the blue Pokemon coming closer at the end of the chapter?

Well, some months ago, Skiyomi made a great review and I remember replying to it months ago. However, now I was looking through this thread some days ago, I discovered that the reply wasn't there... That's so akward, I should've noticed that sooner... And now C.Gholy posted, I can finally reply to it properly without double-posting (I don't like warnings and/or infractions).

Most things (like better sentences you suggested, and typos, for example) are things that isn't much to reply to. You are right about those, that's all there is to say about that.

However, there are a few things I'd like to say.

Wait. She’s that close? Isn’t she supposed to be in the stands? I don’t think she’s allowed to be right by him during an official gym battle.

That was about Misty whispering in Ash's ear during a Gym battle. Normally, during Gym Battles, Misty or Brock stood by the battlefield. However, in one of the images here (link), Misty is standing close behind Ash. That made this plausible to me.

Umm... why? They were clearly wounded in the battle and all of the sudden they’re magically better? That doesn’t make sense.

This is what you said about Pidgeot and Bayleef not having to stay at the Pokemon Center after the Gym Battle with Bugsy, in which Pidgeot was defeated and Bayleef was exhausted. However, in the anime, there are often moments in which Pokemon can restore just by resting after a battle (for example, a trainer saying "..., have a good rest" after a Pokemon is defeated). Because of that, I thought it would be acceptable to not have Pidgeot and Bayleef stay at the Pokemon Center.

About revising chapters: I decided I'll revise chapters after finishing the fic. When the final chapter of the fic has been written, I'll start revising everything that needs to be revised.

Aside from that, I had some more general issues, but the chapters after your rate are significantly better than the one you rated and the ones before that. That probably means your rate could very well be the reason for that, thank you!

- The word count has been significantly improved. The chapters after your rate have word counts between 2700 and 3200.
- I have less exclamation marks than before. When I do use them, it's mostly in battles and when there's an argument (when someone would actually be shouting).
- In the chapters after your rate, I used a comma and not a point after a quote with "Misty said" or "Ash said" after it, so that's nice.
- There is better transition between places. For example, in chapter 15 (the chapter starts in Goldenrod City, then Ash beats Whitney, and then Ash and Misty go clothe shopping), you can read a bit about Ash and Misty walking down the street, and some small conversations to fill the time Ash and Misty walk.
- When an older character appears, there's a better explanation. Instead of Samurai appearing, challenging Ash and leaving without a normal conversation, there are better explanations now. For example, Brock returns as a recurring character for a short amount of time, and he explained why he came to Jotho.
- The battles have gotten better. Ash vs. Bugsy was too short, with Pidgeot even OHKO'ing Ariados. Now, Ash vs. Whitney is longer, and no OHKO'ing.
- The characters are more in-character than in my earlier chapters.

That was about Misty whispering in Ash's ear during a Gym battle. Normally, during Gym Battles, Misty or Brock stood by the battlefield. However, in one of the images here (link), Misty is standing close behind Ash. That made this plausible to me.

While it's true that the picture you're showing has Brock and Misty not in any kind of stands and therefore closer, I think it's overkill to say that Misty is standing "close" to Ash. She's several feet away from him--not in whisper distance at all. Even if you wanted to have Misty stand super close to him and a gym leader decided to allow it (I wouldn't if I was a gym leader) it'd be a particularly bad place for her to stand. Battlers need space--think about how much Ash flails around and moves when commanding his Pokemon. Misty'd get an elbow in the face if she stood anywhere near whisper-distance.

This is what you said about Pidgeot and Bayleef not having to stay at the Pokemon Center after the Gym Battle with Bugsy, in which Pidgeot was defeated and Bayleef was exhausted. However, in the anime, there are often moments in which Pokemon can restore just by resting after a battle (for example, a trainer saying "..., have a good rest" after a Pokemon is defeated). Because of that, I thought it would be acceptable to not have Pidgeot and Bayleef stay at the Pokemon Center.

1. I'm trying to recall instances in the anime where they've done this and I think what they've mostly done is do this when the Pokemon does not receive major injury. In which case, they've mostly just tired themselves out and need a rest. Actual injury would require medical care. If this has happened in a case where a Pokemon has been injured, then that's just the anime being lazy and you shouldn't follow their lead.

2. This is such a non-important issue, that why would you even mention it in your story at all and create questions with it? It doesn't add anything to the plot, so it should probably just be cut.

About revising chapters: I decided I'll revise chapters after finishing the fic. When the final chapter of the fic has been written, I'll start revising everything that needs to be revised.

I strongly, strongly, strongly disagree with this decision. But it's your story and your decision and I can't stop you from making it even though I think it's a mistake.

- The word count has been significantly improved. The chapters after your rate have word counts between 2700 and 3200.
- I have less exclamation marks than before. When I do use them, it's mostly in battles and when there's an argument (when someone would actually be shouting).
- In the chapters after your rate, I used a comma and not a point after a quote with "Misty said" or "Ash said" after it, so that's nice.
- There is better transition between places. For example, in chapter 15 (the chapter starts in Goldenrod City, then Ash beats Whitney, and then Ash and Misty go clothe shopping), you can read a bit about Ash and Misty walking down the street, and some small conversations to fill the time Ash and Misty walk.
- When an older character appears, there's a better explanation. Instead of Samurai appearing, challenging Ash and leaving without a normal conversation, there are better explanations now. For example, Brock returns as a recurring character for a short amount of time, and he explained why he came to Jotho.
- The battles have gotten better. Ash vs. Bugsy was too short, with Pidgeot even OHKO'ing Ariados. Now, Ash vs. Whitney is longer, and no OHKO'ing.
- The characters are more in-character than in my earlier chapters.

I'm glad to hear that you've improved on those issues. Though I should point out that higher word count does not necessarily equal a better story. I highlighted word-count in my original review more to point out that your scenes were very short and lacked transitions and if they had been developed more fully then the story would've been longer.

You're welcome! I'm glad you understand that I never ignored your rate and that things like this can happen.

While it's true that the picture you're showing has Brock and Misty not in any kind of stands and therefore closer, I think it's overkill to say that Misty is standing "close" to Ash. She's several feet away from him--not in whisper distance at all. Even if you wanted to have Misty stand super close to him and a gym leader decided to allow it (I wouldn't if I was a gym leader) it'd be a particularly bad place for her to stand. Battlers need space--think about how much Ash flails around and moves when commanding his Pokemon. Misty'd get an elbow in the face if she stood anywhere near whisper-distance.

Well, on that picture, Misty stood close behind Ash, and after all, it's Bugsy's Gym, both on that picture and in the fic, so I thought making Misty stand on the same place as in the anime should be an option. But you're right, whispering from there would be impossible. In the Gym battles I've written and that will be there in future chapters, Misty didn't/won't whisper and had/has to watch from either a stand or the side of the field (just like how the referee stands, but then on the other side of the field, I hope you understand what I mean).

1. I'm trying to recall instances in the anime where they've done this and I think what they've mostly done is do this when the Pokemon does not receive major injury. In which case, they've mostly just tired themselves out and need a rest. Actual injury would require medical care. If this has happened in a case where a Pokemon has been injured, then that's just the anime being lazy and you shouldn't follow their lead.

2. This is such a non-important issue, that why would you even mention it in your story at all and create questions with it? It doesn't add anything to the plot, so it should probably just be cut.

Well, Pidgeot was defeated against Bugsy, but I don't think he was injured that much that he had to go to a Pokemon Center. And Bayleef was exhausted, but not wounded and not defeated.

I strongly, strongly, strongly disagree with this decision. But it's your story and your decision and I can't stop you from making it.

Well, I have readers who won't like it if I start revising my oldest chapters instead of writing new chapters. I've also thought about a way of working like this: revise and old chapter, then write new one, revise an old one, write a new one and going on like that, maybe I'll do that. But at this moment, I think revising after finishing works best for me.

I'm glad to hear that you've improved on those issues. Though I should point out that higher word count does not necessarily equal a better story. I highlighted word-count in my original review more to point out that your scenes were very short and lacked transitions and if they had been developed more fully then the story would've been longer.

Well, Pidgeot was defeated against Bugsy, but I don't think he was injured that much that he had to go to a Pokemon Center. And Bayleef was exhausted, but not wounded and not defeated.

Again, see point number 2. Like many things in your chapter, there was really no point in mentioning that in the first place and the off-handed lack of explanation just creates questions.

Well, I have readers who won't like it if I start revising my oldest chapters instead of writing new chapters. I've also thought about a way of working like this: revise and old chapter, then write new one, revise an old one, write a new one and going on like that, maybe I'll do that. But at this moment, I think revising after finishing works best for me.

I hate to say this, but if your readers don't like that then they don't want you to improve as a writer and that's bad. I'm okay with leaving tiny problems until the end (though I'd rather they be addressed), but what I saw in the chapter I read showed major structural problems that I think need to be addressed. I think you do a disservice to yourself and to the story by keeping the story going from that kind of foundation. Just vowing to not make the same mistakes again in future chapters is not enough. As a writer, the real tremendous positive growth comes from going back and fixing earlier problems. It's not fun work, but it is positive and it's the best way to ensure that you have mentally adjusted yourself to the point where you don't fall into the same traps. Like I said, it's not fun work and it takes effort... but it's the due diligence that a writer does.

Added to that, there's the simple fact that new readers will make up their minds about whether or not to read your story based on your earliest chapters, not your latest, so your latest improvement will mean nothing to them.

In conclusion: if you have readers telling you not to revise your earlier chapters (or any chapters at all, really) then they are doing wrong by you and giving you bad advice.

Again, see point number 2. Like many things in your chapter, there was really no point in mentioning that in the first place and the off-handed lack of explanation just creates questions.

That's true, the Pokemon Center should've never been mentioned at all.

I hate to say this, but if your readers don't like that then they don't want you to improve as a writer and that's bad. I'm okay with leaving tiny problems until the end (though I'd rather they be addressed), but what I saw in the chapter I read showed major structural problems that I think need to be addressed. I think you do a disservice to yourself and to the story by keeping the story going from that kind of foundation. Just vowing to not make the same mistakes again in future chapters is not enough. As a writer, the real tremendous positive growth comes from going back and fixing earlier problems. It's not fun work, but it is positive and it's the best way to ensure that you have mentally adjusted yourself to the point where you don't fall into the same traps. Like I said, it's not fun work and it takes effort... but it's the due diligence that a writer does.

Added to that, there's the simple fact that new readers will make up their minds about whether or not to read your story based on your earliest chapters, not your latest, so your latest improvement will mean nothing to them.

In conclusion: if you have readers telling you not to revise your earlier chapters (or any chapters at all, really) then they are doing wrong by you and giving you bad advice.

Well, my readers never literally said anything like that, but if I start revising, there'll be more time between the chapters I write, I don't think they'd like to wait. Maybe I should ask some readers if they'd mind that.

That it's not fun and that it takes effort is not an issue at all, I'm perfectly willing to revise. And it's not like I won't revise at all, I just thought it would be a good idea to wait until the story is finished.

It's true that new readers who read the first few chapters will think "this is horrible", and that people reading newer chapters are more likely to enjoy reading my chapters.

I won't just abandon writing new chapters for a while just to revise older ones. However, you did convince me about the benefits of revising before finishing the story. So, do you think something like this would be a good idea?
- writing new chapter
- revise old chapter
- writing new chapter
- revise old chapter

...and so on. Basically, for every new chapter I write, I'll revise an old one. That way, I can write new chapters frequently while also revising older ones.